Mysterious Hero of the Future
by segafansonic
Summary: Sonic is transported to the past along with the Chaos Emeralds. Now he must find his way back to the future while going through his home planet during an earlier time. His ticket back are the seven Chaos Emeralds, but collecting them will not be a simple task.
1. Becoming a Knight

It was nighttime at this very small village located deep within a forest. In this village surrounded by trees were four wooden huts. Contained within three of the huts are three beds. Children rested in these beds. This village belonged to a fox clan of the south. It was ravaged not too long ago by a dragon. The adults of the village did the best they could to defend their offspring. They were able to fend the dragon off, but all lost their lives in the process. All that did remain was the next generation led by the oldest of the group, Miles Prower. Understandably the young leader faced many hardships fending for his clan, so occasionally he enlisted the help of his closest friend, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Usually a traveling warrior, the blue hero roamed the continent as he pleased. He always carried a large sword that was hung over his shoulder by a strap and was always sheathed. No one has ever seen him use his sword. Not like he needed it anyway since he was perfectly capable of defeating anything with his own weapons of choice, his limbs and his quills. Nevertheless, he always carried that sword with him. His attitude was always very carefree and devoid of worry. He'd never stay in one place no matter how much he was begged. His spirit was and has always been free. He doesn't like being tied down. So, why does he help out Miles with taking care of the village?

Exactly one month ago, the hedgehog was running through the plains outside the forest near the village. It was raining heavily. The wind was blowing strongly. Needless to say, he eventually became sick and collapsed not too far away from the forest. Miles was bringing in some fruits he picked south of Sonic's position and noticed him on the ground face first. The orange fox tossed his basket of fruits over his shoulder and picked up this mysterious stranger. His twin tails spun as fast as he could get them to. The constant drops of water falling from the sky made this a difficult task, but he was able to achieve flight and carried Sonic towards his village. Once there, he immediately lit a fire and sat the helpless body on his bed. Miles made sure to watch over him carefully. He woke the next day. He jumped out of the bed.

"Where am I? I remember running then everything went dark."

Miles stared at him with a smile then handed him an apple.

"I saw you on my way back home and decided to pick you up. I couldn't just leave you out there to perish."

He ate the apple quickly then immediately asked for another. Miles tossed him one. He ate while talking.

"Thanks. I owe you. If you need anything from me, just say the word."

"Well, could I ask for your assistance?"

And that's how it started. For the next month, the rescued hedgehog was used as a hunter. That was his savior's one request. He stuck around and did it without hesitation while earning the respect and endearment of the village children. And now we get to tonight. The two close friends were sitting by a fire in the middle of the village. The hunter propped his back up on a piece of wood. He was eating an apple. These apples became his new favorite snack ever since the day he was rescued. He depleted the whole inventory of them. Every apple that was brought into the village he dismantled. It got to the point where Miles started bringing two baskets during his fruit harvesting so he could keep up with Sonic's insatiable apple lust. Miles sat there with his twin tails moving slowly behind him. He was warming his hands by the fire.

"Seems like we are low on food," said Sonic. He didn't mean apples, there were plenty of them. They were low on meat. This is a village of foxes. They need meat.

"That is true. I know you just returned from hunting yesterday, but would you mind going back out there?"

Sonic jumped up. He tossed the apple he finished eating and grabbed two more from the barrel behind him.

"How about dragon meat," he asked nonchalantly while juggling the two apples.

Miles stared at him in awe.

"That would be nice, but that's a rare treat since dragons are so hard to defeat. I could never ask that of you."

"Like I said, I owe you. Last time I went hunting I did see a dragon going towards the north. If I catch up with it and slay it then you all should have food for weeks."

"I'm very grateful for your cooperation. Please be careful. I'll alert the children of your departure."

The blue hedgehog pushed against the earth and leaped to his feet. With one apple in his left hand and one in his right, he turned around and ran off. Miles was always impressed by his friend's speed. He always left a blue trail in his wake. He's been studying ways to match him in speed and would practice from time to time in secrecy.

* * *

It only took the hunter one hour on foot to catch up with the dragon in the distance. On a riverbank the dragon stood. He was about ten times taller than Sonic and five times wider. The moon reflected off of its crimson scales. His golden horns were illuminated by the light of the moon. The hedgehog found it weird that even though he was right behind the dragon, he wasn't noticed. Instead the dragon was fixated on something else in the distance. On the other side of the riverbank was a small army of what appeared to be people in dark robes. Sonic stepped back an looked on. One of them moved forward.

"Halt," a female voice said with integrity. It was as if her voice wasn't shaken. "You are the dragon that has been assaulting the towns in the kingdom. In the name of her majesty you will be defeated right here!"

The dragon couldn't understand her words at all of course so he took a step out of the riverbank. Because he was so massive, the step caused the ground to vibrate. The army of darkness wasn't shaken. The leader issued an order. Her subordinates surrounded the dragon in a circle and threw ropes around it. They attempted to tie it down. They were not victorious as the beast broke free with minimal struggling. Sonic shook his head at the sorry display. He sat in the grass and watched some more. The captain issued another order. The army stuck their arms out from beneath their cloaks and fire appeared from their hands. The spectator thought this was impressive, but their flames did nothing to the murderer. This left the squad dumbfounded. The center of attention was starting to grow tired of these pesky ants and decided to attack. He opened his mouth and with a big roar came a gigantic wad of fire much larger and brighter than what they just came up with. His flames ravaged the team who has now lost its will to fight. Despite this, the leader was not coerced. She threw her cloak off. The one lone member of the audience sitting on the sidelines who was starting to feel a bit bored finally saw something that caught his attention.

The cloak landed in the river causing a splash of water to rise. Behind the splash stood a purple cat. Her purple ensemble matched the color of her fur which a red jewel held together in the middle. Her white ears twitched a little under the moonlight. Her striped tail shook a bit. She pointed her left, purple heel out in front. She entered a stance and unsheathed her lance with her right hand.

"I, Blaze the Cat of her majesty's task force shall defeat you here today!"

She was flashy and could talk big, but could she back up those words? She ran towards her foe at an impressive pace. Sonic thought she had the pace of a snail, but any normal person would think she was pretty light on her feet. She extended her lance out in front of her and prepared to strike with all she had at the dragon's face as she leaped into the air. The dragon opened his mouth and out came fire yet again. The task force's leader countered with fire of her own. She spun like a top at speeds comparable to a tornado and enveloped herself in a twister of flames. The beam of fire met with her in the air. Neither of them won out. She was pushed back onto the ground while the dragon remained standing unscathed. The bystander shook his head at the sight. He was finally noticed by a member of the army and she brought him to the attention of her captain.

"Oh, so you think you can do better," Blaze replied. She was obviously annoyed by Sonic's disappointed stare.

"I don't think I can. I know I can."

He finished the second apple then stood up. The cocky hero kicked the dragon's tail to get its attention. It turned around then roared vehemently. The sound was loud enough to wake the world. This angered the dragon. He tried swiping at Sonic, but Sonic moved out of the way with speeds not ascertainable by the naked eye. Everyone was in shock. The hedgehog got behind the dragon and ran up its tail. He did an acrobatic maneuver off of the dragon's head and landed on his nose. He jumped and kicked it right between the eyes. This did nothing but made it angrier. The blue warrior dismounted his rowdy ride and rolled up into a ball. He charged up, kicking dust and grass into the air then flung himself at the dragon. The dragon's body repelled his attack.

"So my quills won't work on it either."

"Isn't that obvious," Blaze screamed in anger. She was mad that he was just toying with an enemy that was the strongest she's ever faced. "Use your sword! What do you have that thing with you for anyway?"

"But I hate using weapons."

He sighed as he pulled the sword out of its sheath. The handle was black. The golden hilt was beautifully encrusted with white diamonds. The blade was astronomical in size, larger than the cat has ever seen or held. It shined beautifully from the stars' reflection off of the lake. He gripped it with both hands.

"I really hate this thing," he remarked before taking off.

While holding the sword with both hands, he stuck his arms out. During his leap towards the dragon he curled up into a ball creating a buzz saw out of himself. He aimed for the dragon's right arm. He sliced through it like paper and came out on the other side. The arm fell towards the ground with large amounts of blood following the attack. This finally made the dragon worried. His wings came out and he flew towards the hero as fast as his body would permit. Sonic repeated his attack from before, but aimed directly at the head this time. He went straight through the middle, cutting the dragon in two. Everyone was in a complete state of shock at the sight. The hedgehog landed covered in blood. He quickly jumped in the river to get all of that off of him. The sorry excuse for a leader walked over to him.

"What is your name, great warrior?"

"Not telling," he replied as he stood up.

He rested his sword back in its rightful place after cleaning it. Since the dragon was split in two down the middle, he grabbed one half of it by the tail, and the other half the same way. He revved up his legs before taking off back to the forest carrying the two halves of the dragon along with him. The task force was speechless.

* * *

Sonic arrived at the village right before sunrise. He couldn't run as fast as he wanted to due to what he was carrying, but he was able to get there before the meat started to spoil. Miles peaked his head out of the cabin and stood straight as a solider at the sight. The hunter dropped the two dragon halves next to the cabin before taking his seat in front of his log and helping himself to another apple. The fox was still dumbfounded as the smell of dragon meat hit his nostrils.

"How did you do it?"

"I had to use the sword," he replied with a mouthful of apple.

"I'm sorry. I know you hate using it and yet you had to use it to bring us food."

"Don't worry about it. Hopefully it will be a long time before I have to use it again."

One of the cabin doors opened. A fox slightly smaller than Miles suck her ears out of the door then her nose and at last her head. She skipped over towards Sonic and gave him a hug. All she had on were rags sewn together by materials Miles found during his harvesting. She had a lily on her head between her ears but closer to the right ear. Behind her were twin tails similar to Miles.

"Maria, you should go back to bed. It's still early," Sonic suggested as he reached for another apple.

"But I smelled dragon meat and I saw you and big brother sitting out here and I heard the story," she replied. She ran over and jumped into Miles's lap. "Can I prepare it for storage, brother?"

"Sure."

She hopped up and ran inside to get a basket and to grab a knife. She came back outside and started destroying the dragon.

"You taught your sister how to do that," Sonic asked.

"Yes, she is the oldest out of the bunch besides me after all. She's the only one I can rely on currently."

"If you say so," he remarked while taking a big bite. He was already on apple number four.

Miles was about to inquire more on the fight with the dragon, but his white ears twitched a bit. So did Sonic's light brown ears. They both stood up and looked towards the north. Down the little path that would lead out of the forest came two horses pulling a white carriage. The white carriage was encrusted with a golden design in the shape of the crown. The person sitting on the outside that was guiding the horses wore a white vest with a white hat. The hat was large. It was hard to see the driver's face completely. Once the carriage reached the entrance to the village it came to a halt. The driver hopped out of her seat. She opened the door towards the right. There was a window, but it was covered by a ruby curtain. The passengers couldn't be seen until they got out.

First one out was the leader of the task force, Blaze the Cat. She stepped out gracefully. A white, gloved hand reached out of the carriage. She grabbed that hand to give the person stepping out some support. First thing they saw were white slippers with a pink leg encased in a white stocking step out. Then they saw a beautiful, white dress. You could say it seemed like this attired belonged to someone of royalty! Next item they saw was a red crown peeking out of the top of the door. The crown was magnificent. The main material was colored a very dark red. It was held together by a golden structure that was jewel-encrusted with gems of many colors. Next was a scepter. The design of it matched the crown. Finally they saw the person's face. She was a beauty beyond measure. The pink color of her body, the perfect figure, and beautiful face when combined created a person of near perfection. Even Sonic had to stare a little. The person walked right over to him with her guard right behind her. Miles knew who this was so he immediately got down on one knee. Sonic didn't understand it, but this woman seemed to be emanating an aurora of royalty and dignity. She extended her hand out to him.

"I heard you are the brave warrior that rescued my task force," she said diligently. She stared at him with an earnest smile. "I'm Queen Amy of the Mobius Kingdom. I'm happy to see you in person great and noble hedgehog."

Sonic didn't understand the gesture, so he shook her hand awkwardly instead.

"It's nice to meet you too," he replied while refocusing his gaze upwards towards her face.

Miles couldn't believe what he just witnessed. Blaze was able to shake her head in disgust at him finally. She was waiting for a moment to do that since last night. The petite driver giggled while her face remained covered under her hat.

"I have a request to ask of you," she said.

Sonic's faced changed. He was serious now for he could tell what was coming. During his travels while hunting he heard rumors of some issues between the Mobius Kingdom and the neighboring territories. He was also told rumors of the queen wanting to strengthen her army.

"What is it?"

"I would like you to come back to the castle with me and become my knight. I realize this request may be a bit sudden for you, but you would be a great help to the kingdom if you served in the royal guard."

Sonic was about to say no without giving it a second thought, but Miles stopped him immediately by putting his hand in front of his mouth.

"Will you excuse us a moment," he asked while awkwardly carrying Sonic to the other side of the circle.

"Don't tell me you want to go." You could sense the displeasure in Sonic's voice.

"If you go you can get her to take the whole village with you. That would be perfect and give the remainder of my clan a better chance at survival. You have to do this for us."

"You can't be serious. I don't want to become a dog of the queen's military."

Miles got on his knees and practically begged. Maria joined in with him. The hedgehog couldn't stare at this sight any longer. He turned around and went back towards Amy.

"I'm sorry, I have to refuse. I help my best friend over there, Miles; take care of what's left of his clan. Without me they won't survive. I can't leave them behind."

"Say no more. We'll take them with us and they can live on the castle grounds," she replied instantly. Her eyes were fierce. He could tell she was serious. Miles and Maria were jumping for joy. He had no choice but to accept.

A second carriage came not to long after. It was requested by carrier pigeon. Maria rounded up the remaining eight children and led them onto the second carriage. Sonic and Miles got into the first one. They were surprised by the lush interior and the cushioned seats. On their way towards the castle, Amy decided to ask some questions about her new knight. His friend sat there in amazement since he never bothered to ask these questions. Blaze was stunned as well.

"Where do you come from?"

"From the future," he replied while eating an apple. He toted five apples for the trip. He could get to the castle much faster on foot, but by carriage it was going to take a few hours.

"You're kidding," she replied with a slight chuckle.

"I'm not. I was sent here by an accident in my time period."

"What kind of accident?"

"All I remember was that I had the Chaos Emeralds and was trapped in one of Eggman's machine. Tails tried to save me, but Eggman's machine malfunctioned sending me to this place with the Chaos Emeralds. They did disperse once I arrived so I've been searching for them. I haven't managed to find a single one since. But if I find all seven, I could perform a time warp and return home."

Amy turned towards her guard. "Didn't you find a mysterious gem not too long ago?"

"Yes, I found a blue gem during one of my training sessions with the task force," the cat replied. She was carrying it with her and pulled it out. Sonic's face lit up.

"That's one of them," he screamed.

She handed it over and the gem glowed brightly while in Sonic's hand. He was overjoyed to finally see one as long as he's been here. He was about to give up hope.

"These emeralds will begin to react once they are close to another. If I use this and run around I'll eventually find the remaining six."

"From what you just said, if you find all of them you can perform a time warp," Miles iterated.

"Yeah."

"So doesn't that mean these gems have some kind of power?"

"They have unlimited power and are fueled by emotions. Bad emotions as well as good emotions are enough to activate them. On their own they are strong enough to be useful, but when you get all of them together a miracle happens."

"This sounds bad," Blaze pondered. "If one of those things falls into the wrong hands and that person figures out how to use them then it won't end well."

"I doubt anyone in this time period will figure it out."

Amy cleared her throat. "If you become my knight, you will travel the world on various quests. I promise you you'll find your emeralds eventually."

"I like the sound of that," he replied happily. He reclined and started juggling the emerald with two apples as the carriage rolled down the path towards the castle.


	2. General Knuckles and the Family Heirloom

The two carriages arrived at the castle grounds. Maria and her company exited first and were led to the right by the driver of that carriage. The others continued down the path. Both Sonic and Miles stared deeply at the castle. It was a tall one. The stone walls made Sonic bend his neck too far as he titled his head back. From what he observed, there were five towers. The biggest one was in the middle. That was the body. The other four towers surrounded the middle tower. They weren't as tall as the middle tower, but close enough. The towers had red tiles at the tip with a flag pole on each. He couldn't make out the design from here.

Amy led them into the castle. They were greeted by the staff. Sonic didn't recognize any of them as he expected. They were all animals, no humans. The hedgehog waved as he followed his queen. The interior of the castle was striking to him. The marble castle had a red carpet for the main pathways that one should take. The stained-glass windows let in delightful rays of colored sunshine. The doors were large and beautifully designed. The party walked straight down the hall until they got to a set of double doors. They were much larger than all doors passed before. This appeared to be the throne room. To the left was a desk. To the right were two doors. Straight in front on top of some stairs were two thrones. They were equal in size. Amy walked up the stairs and sat in the right one. The ceiling had a dazzling chandelier hanging from it. The large window behind them wasn't made of stained glass. It was normal and gave the queen a great view of her land whenever she felt like looking at it.

"Blaze, would you fetch General Knuckles," she asked.

Blaze bowed and exited the room.

"Wait, General Knuckles," Sonic blurted out. He was trying to hold his laughter in. "I can't wait to see this."

"Yes, I want you to become a knight. You will be directly under his command."

"What about me," Miles inquired. Nothing was said about his purpose for being brought along yet.

"I planned to have you repay me for letting your clan stay here. What can you do?"

The fox was caught off guard by her question. His friend tried to help him out.

"Miles is a very smart intellectual. I'm positive that he could be of use during battles. He's great at creating plans."

He shot Sonic a look. Obviously that was a lie. Amy couldn't read the atmosphere so she went along with it.

"So you both will be joining General Knuckles. That's good to hear. I feel safer with you two around."

The doors to the throne room swung open. General Knuckles entered the room. Sonic felt disappointed. He looked exactly like the Knuckles he knew except for the robe that covered him. It was red and had the design of Amy's crown on the back of it. He bowed and greeted the queen. He then stared hard at Sonic.

"You were the one that took down that dragon yourself," he asked with his hand on his chin.

"Yeah, are you impressed?"

"I don't believe it. You look like such a weakling."

"What was that, you medieval idiot? No matter what time period it is you will always remain dumb."

The queen got out of her throne and attempted to stop this squabble.

"I think you two could work well together, especially if Sonic is as strong as Blaze said he is." She put herself between them.

"I'd never work with that dummy," the hero replied. He turned his face away.

"I'm sorry your highness, but there's no way this rubbish here could have defeated a dragon by himself. Just look at him. Such an insolent barbarian could never wield such power."

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you."

"Is that a challenge?"

She sighed and sat back in her throne.

"Do it out back, not in here."

* * *

Knuckles's grin had a sinister feel to it. He threw off his robe. Sonic finally got to see something interesting. The general had a sword! It was red in color and quite large. Not as large as Sonic's sword, but still quite big. The handle was a dark green, similar to the color of leaves on an evergreen tree. The hedgehog's signature cocky smile took shape. He jumped out of the open window behind the thrones and the red echidna followed. Miles walked up and stared out the window. Even though she was annoyed, Amy also got out of her seat to turn around and watch.

The venue of the battle was the castle's courtyard. There was a cobblestone path leading to a white gate. On both sides of the path were benches. Behind the benches were beautiful flowerbeds. The assortment of plants was a breathtaking sight to behold. In the opposite direction of the gate was a fountain which the path made a circle around. This is where the two fighters stood. From the many windows along the wall, one could see that they amassed an audience. Blaze was among this audience along with one other face that was familiar to Sonic but he wasn't introduced to her yet.

"Listen up," Knuckles ordered as he pulled out his sword. "I'll never work with the likes of you. You'll have to defeat me here and now to prove your worth."

The challenger stood there. He tilted his head and said, "You're not important enough for me to please. I'll need a bigger incentive."

The general's demeanor remained unstirred. "If I win you must leave this place."

"What if I win?"

"Then you shall become general and I will be your second in command."

"I like the sound of that, but if I become general you and Miles will share second in command."

"Yes, yes, just pull out your sword so I can send you back from whence you came."

"Eh, let's see if you can get me to use it first."

He ran at his superior. In his signature fashion, he leaped into the air and rolled into a ball as he descended towards his target. Knuckles stuck his sword out in an attempt to block. Sonic took note of this and stopped his roll before reaching Knuckles. He landed on his head and jumped off behind him. The angered officer charged at him blindly. This is exactly what Sonic wanted. Now he had a chance to show off his speed. Every swing of Knuckles's sword met with the air as they were all dodged. This weakling was avoiding all attacks with a smile on his face, a smile of malice, at least that's how he saw it. Sonic began to grow wry of this game of tag. He ran towards Knuckles and attempted to disarm him. He became a bit too complacent. Knuckles countered with a dodge to the right and an elbow to the back. This caused Sonic to jump back.

"You are very quick," he retorted with a look of confidence. "But such tactics will never work on a hero of war."

The blow Sonic took to his back did hurt, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Despite being hit first, his pride wasn't shaken.

"Well, I'll just have to try something different."

He spun into a ball and leaped into the air while in that state. He flung himself towards the echidna at incredible velocity. He blocked Sonic with his sword. His quills meeting with that metal created a flurry of sparks. Even though Sonic was deflected, he remained in the air and flung himself right back at him. He repeated this five times. Each attack was denied entry, but it was taking all Knuckles had to deflect them. He kept being pushed back bit by bit. The hedgehog landed and rolled up into a ball once more. He charged up then shot himself forward like a dart. That one final push was all he needed. The backs of Knuckles's shoes met with the tip of the fountain. He fell backwards and created a splash of water. Sonic laughed uncontrollably and so did the onlookers. From out the window, so was Miles laughing at the spectacle. Amy, on the other hand, had a look of concern. She was fretting over why her new knight wasn't using his sword.

"I've had enough of your horseplay," the wet general shouted. His voice echoed throughout the land. He grabbed his sword and jumped out of the fountain. "You will be destroyed, now!"

"You couldn't come up with a better line than that," Sonic asked. He was not amused as he slowly pulled his sword out. "I must admit, you are a tough opponent. It's a shame I have to use this, but I can't separate you from your sword."

Just then, the fox noticed Amy's eyes. They were wide open and fixated on that sword. Her breathing was short. He tapped her.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you know about his sword," she inquired as if she was in a trance.

"All I know is that he doesn't like using it. I've asked him why in the past but he has never explained. He really doesn't like the sword."

"I see."

The blue warrior gripped his sword with both hands. A strange event occurred. The blade began shining brightly. Its colored changed from silver to a very deep blue, similar to the color of the Chaos Emerald he had on him. He didn't notice. He was focused completely on his target, but everyone else did and was mesmerized by what their eyes have just witnessed. While the general did notice, he didn't care and charged on. Sonic charged at him as well. His sword emitted a trail of wind. It was so strong that it was visible. When the two clashed, a gust of wind formed that was so strong it blew Knuckles through the fountain and smashed him on the wall. That finally made his white, gloved hand drop that sword. He slid off of the wall and landed directly on his face. The winner stood there in astonishment. He stared strongly at his sword. He could see what appeared to be gusts of winds moving through the blade. This confused him to no end. He sheathed his sword and walked over to the loser. The general was unconscious. Sonic picked him up and carried him inside.

* * *

A member of the castle's staff took Knuckles off of Sonic's hand and carried him down the hall on his right to the infirmary. The hedgehog returned to the throne room. He was greeted by a speechless audience of Amy, Miles, Blaze, and that one person he saw earlier. She had long ears. They drooped over the back of her head. She had a small, white, fluffy tail. Her attire was familiar. It was similar to the clothes of the driver from before. Her face was very youthful with a charming smile and large eyes with a small, black nose in the middle. Her light, brown fur complimented the white color of her outerwear. It was obvious that this girl was very young. She was the one to break the awkward silence.

"Amazing," she congratulated him with enthusiasm. "I'm Magistrate Cream. It's nice to you meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," he replied. Seeing someone similar to Cream made him at ease. The gang was all here as far as he was concerned. This made him a bit more relaxed.

"Magistrate Cream is my closest friend and second in command," Amy explained. "She accompanies me from time to time and likes to drive my carriage."

"So you were the driver," Miles confirmed.

"Yes I was," she replied with a nod. She then switched the topic of conversation. "You didn't hurt General Knuckles too bad, did you?"

"I went easy on him," he answered. He noticed the chair by the desk. He pulled it out and sat in it. "I don't know about becoming general of the army. I think he was just saying that to get me to fight him."

"But you clearly outmatched him. After being humiliated in front of everybody, he would have no choice but to resign," Blaze chimed in. "Besides, he's a very stubborn person. He will always see his words through."

Sonic pulled out an apple he was saving. He took a bite of it. "But I don't know the first thing about being a general."

"You don't have to," Cream remarked while she looked up at him. "We don't have an army. It's just a title, more like a "the first person to put his life on the line for the queen" type thing."

This made Sonic spat out the piece of apple he had in his mouth. "Why there's no army?"

The queen tilted her head down in sadness. "The previous war depleted more than half of our forces. The remaining soldiers resigned because the result of us losing the war meant we had to give up some of our land and sign a peace treaty. Since we signed a peace treaty with the only neighboring kingdom that has attempted to attack us in recorded history, it was determined that there was no need for an army. We never tried to rebuild and only Blaze's task force remains."

"Well what do you need me for?"

She knew that question was coming. "Because I'm expecting a visitor soon. I was informed by a note that visitor will be the king of the country to the west. The king would like to take over the land completely and he's planning to do so by asking for my hand in marriage."

"Sounds like you don't want to do it."

"He's a despicable king. If I refuse it will most likely start a war. That's where you come in. I need you to protect me. I had no clue that such a strong person existed in my kingdom. You must be my sword."

He glanced at her face. Her eyes were teary. Her expression was one of despair. It was virtually impossible for him to turn her down. "I'll do it under one condition."

"What is it that you desire?"

"I want apples. Bring me as many of them as you can find."

"That's all?"

"Yes, that's all. What else you thought I wanted?"

"You are a very nice person. I could never thank you enough."

The chat in the throne room was disbanded. Queen Amy and Blaze went their separate ways.

* * *

Magistrate Cream lead Sonic and Miles out of the throne room and down a hall on their left. At the end of the hall was a set of spiral stairs. At the end of the stairs was a door that led to the second floor.

"This is the west tower," she explained with her eyes closed and her index finger of her right hand pointed up. "This tower is used to house some of the more important members of the castle staff. You each have a room at the far end of the hall."

Sonic ran down the hall leaving that blue streak behind like he always does. At the end of the hall he opened the door on the right. The room was small, but still quite luxurious. To his left was a door which he opened to reveal a closet. On the right was a desk. A wooden chair with red cushions was placed by the desk. The back wall had a window. The glass wasn't stained. The window was huge and in front of it was bed. The bed was also big, much larger than a single person would need. The sheets were white. The headrest was tastefully decorated. The pillows seemed large comfy. He wasted no time jumping in this bed. His soul melted away once he got into a good position. Miles's room was similar. He came back to the hallway after inspecting his room then talked to Magistrate Cream who was still in the hall.

"Where was my clan escorted to?"

"The eastern tower. Would you like me to lead the way?"

"Yes if you don't mind."

Sonic heard the footsteps moving farther away. He was finally at peace for once. He removed his sword from his shoulder and propped it up against the wall. He buried his head in the right pillow and was about to drift off to sleep, but was interrupted by a knock to his door. He sat up. Amy entered the room carrying a basket. She placed it at the foot of his bed. She then sat down on his bed.

"That basket contains fifty apples. If you need more do not hesitate to ask."

The blue hero grabbed one and went to work on it. She finally decided to open her mouth on what's been bugging her.

"If you don't mind, could you tell me more about your sword?"

He finished the apple he had then grabbed the sword. "I hate this thing. I hate all weapons in general, but this sword in particular really gets to me. Where I came from there was no need for this thing."

"No need for a weapon. Is there not war in your time period?"

"Not really. I don't know if you could call it war. It's more like justice."

"A place without war. I'd like to see it myself one day." She leaned over his lap and stared Sonic right in the eyes.

Sonic looked away while blushing. "So about the sword. When I first appeared here, I was running through a mountain. In a cave on that mountain, I ran across someone who looked similar to me. He was impaled by this sword on the wall in the cave. I pulled the sword out. He opened his eyes and muttered a few words to me before parting. "You must be careful when using this sword. If used for anything other than self-defense, it can bring great misfortune upon you and you might end up like me." That was his words before passing."

He felt something wet hit his leg. Amy was crying.

"What's wrong," he asked.

"Y-your sword belongs to the royal family. I-it belonged to my father."

"What?!"


	3. King Terios and a Geography Lesson

**Note: Sorry it took me so long. This chapter and chapter four were originally one chapter, but I decided to split them since the two main events are completely different. As a result, I had to alter some things.**

* * *

Cream was in the main hall of the castle. She came here after leading Miles to his family. A carrier pigeon flew in through an open window. She inspected the note that was attached to it after he landed on her shoulder.

"Oh, that guy is almost here," she said as she crumbled the note.

General Knuckles came walking down the hall. He seemed to be in good condition after the fight. His wounds were minimal. All he had was a bandage on his head. He saw the rabbit toss that note and heard what she said.

"Who is almost here?"

"King Terios."

"Ah, that guy. Shall we alert the queen?"

"No. She would ask Sir Sonic to be more courteous in his presence. Things should be more fun this way."

"I hate to say it, but if anyone can put that unruly king in his place, then it's that fellow."

"Oh, you are warming up to him now?"

"I have to give credit where credit is due. That young man has some power. Maybe he can protect the queen after all."

* * *

Upstairs in Sonic's new room, Amy stood up and wiped away her tears. Sonic sat there with a look of concern. He didn't even reach for a new apple.

"The person in that cave had to be my father. He was said to be missing recently which is why I became queen at such a young age."

The blue hero stood up. He walked over to his queen and wrapped his arms around her. He gently rubbed the back of her head.

"Don't worry about that. For some reason I can use the sword, right? That means I'm supposed to protect you. You can count on me."

"I hope you are true to your word. A test is coming."

She broke free of his hug. Sonic felt a bit rejected. It was if his move to calm her down had no effect. He didn't notice that someone was staring from the hallway since his back was to the entrance of the room. Amy did which is why she stopped. On the contrary, Amy was extremely moved by the actions of her new knight. If it wasn't for that onlooker, she might have planted a kiss on him. That was what she envisioned.

"What test?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

General Knuckles went to the courtyard to retrieve his sword. The damage their little fight did to the area was severe. He hoped that the queen would overlook this somehow. As he picked up his sword from the rubble, he was tapped on the shoulder. He quickly turned around to notice nothing.

"Only those two like to play such childish games," he said as he walked back into the castle.

Sonic and Amy walked into the throne room. They were met by Cream and Blaze. Amy sat down in her throne. Sonic sat in that chair from earlier. Blaze and Cream stood near the door. Knuckles came running through it not too long after.

"That idiot and his lackey are here. Seems they dropped in and had a look around as usual."

"Who are you calling an idiot," a voiced asked from afar.

The voiced sounded familiar to Sonic. He stood up and looked out the door. Down the hallway came a black hedgehog. Sonic didn't expect to see him here. The red colors on his quills brought back bad memories. Those air skates Sonic recognized as well. He did think about how such technology could exist in these times, but he held back his suspicions. He thought he was thinking about it too much. The hedgehog was wearing a black cape. The color of the material was white on the inside as he could tell by the neck area. Sonic was hoping he wouldn't see an enemy, but those hopes were dashed. That's not all. By his side walked a bat. She was very mature. Her body was shaped exquisitely. She too had on a cape. It matched the hedgehog's in design. Her face had a seductive smile, one that could steal the heart of any man in a second. She had a certain dangerous aura, one that Sonic also recognized. They trotted in the throne room, but stopped once they noticed Sonic. Knuckles finally decided to open his mouth.

"What brings you two idiots by, King Terios and Lieutenant Rouge," he asked. He was annoyed by the mere sight of them.

"I obviously came to follow up on my letter," Terios said. He turned towards the queen. "Do you accept my offer?"

"I can't marry someone I don't love," she replied. She answered his question without hesitation.

This made him furious on the inside, but he looked very calm on the outside with a fake smile that Sonic saw as pretentious.

"So is there someone else?"

She didn't respond to that. He decided to focus on Sonic.

"So you're the knight that defeated that dragon by yourself. The news of your heroics has spread even to my continent as well."

"Want to see me defeat a king," Sonic replied. He could read this atmosphere quite well. He knew that Terios wasn't wanted.

"I don't understand where such malice is coming from," he retorted. "Is this how a knight of such a fine kingdom is supposed to behave? You should be more respectful. I might become king here one day."

"You don't have a chance."

"Oh, do you? I saw that event upstairs."

Both hedgehogs lowered their heads in shame. Everyone else in the room was confused. Terios took note of this.

"Ah ha, you are the one."

Sonic raised his head. "So what if I am? She deserves better than some cowardly king who would sneak into her castle as if he owned it. The only reason you want to marry her is for the kingdom anyway."

Terios was breaking on the inside, but he still managed to keep his calm demeanor. "You are completely wrong."

"Let me stop you right there. You like human girls."

The room went deathly silent. Sonic didn't realize it, but he managed to hit a nerve. Everyone else knew about Terios's past and why he truly wanted Mobius, but Sonic did not. He said something he should not have said. One by one, Cream, Knuckles, Blaze, and Rouge silently left the room. Only the three hedgehogs remained. His cockiness took over and his mouth went on autopilot.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Seems like you are into someone you can't have. So what happened? Does she hate you? Did your ugliness despise her? Was she captured and you folded like a baby?"

Amy was shaking her head. She found a fault in her new love interest. He doesn't know when to shut up. With swiftness that only Sonic could match, the king executed a strong punch for Sonic's abdomen. This made him wince over in pain. He used his chair to get himself back up. His foe was near and closing in with another punch. He had to act quickly. He blocked it with the palm of his right hand and pushed the enraged hedgehog back. Those red shoes of his took off as he wanted to return that punch, but was denied by Terios' left arm. The cocky hero decided to kick, but it was perfectly avoided with a jump. While in the air, that unruly king went with a kick to head. He brought his right heel down to the back of that blue cranium. The impact of Sonic hitting the floor was enough to make the whole castle shake. Terios took this time to say a few choice words.

"This man is no match for you," he said to the queen. "Let me take you instead. There's no way he can protect you from the humans to the east."

She gave no response. Her eyes were fixated on her knight. This made Terios even angrier. It took all he had, but Sonic was able to stand. Blood was flowing from a cut on his forehead. The impact he made on the floor was serious. Despite this, he still decided to fight.

"I never said I was done!"

He jumped into the air and unsheathed his sword. Sonic was getting serious. He didn't even bother with his other tricks. He fell straight down on top of Terios. That evil dictator wasn't sitting there just looking at his impending doom. He reached under his cape and pulled out his sword as well. The handle was red. The hilt was decorated with white fur that matched the color and style on his chest. The blade was curved like a crescent moon. It was dark in color with the inside being red. He blocked the attack and jumped back. Sonic ran in again. His foe met with him and a shower of sparks rained down on the floor. They clashed with each other a number of times until Sonic had enough. During a clash, he reached over and puncher Terios right in the face. He finally managed to wipe that dumb smirk off. As soon as he did that, the blade on his sword started to glow blue again. Sonic didn't understand it, but he thought the timing was perfect and didn't question it. Before Terios could even get up, Sonic was already above him. Something in him told him to swing his sword in midair. When he did, a tornado formed that engulfed Terios and swirled him around. When it dissipated, he fell on his back. His sword flung out of his hand and fell on the opposite side of the room.

"What, what was that," he asked. For once his voice was shaken.

"I don't know myself," Sonic explained. "But what I do know is that you'll leave here unless you want another."

Terios crawled over to his sword, but the victor stepped on his left arm.

"You should leave from here and never return," Sonic ordered. He's never seemed so serious in his entire life.

That didn't achieve the reaction that Sonic predicted. Instead, that smirk came back on Terios's face as he grabbed Sonic's right leg with his right arm.

"The fight is not over yet!"

He closed his eyes and started chanting something Sonic couldn't understand. It was recognized by Amy who jumped out of her throne and waved her scepter. A red light engulfed her and she jumped on Sonic's back which managed to spread the light around him. Once Terios finished his chant, an explosion occurred. The room was destroyed. The thrones were sent out the window and into the courtyard. The desk was disintegrated. The floors were completely dark with a newly formed crater in the center. In the crater laid Terios. His eyes were closed. Sonic covered his face with his hands. He looked around. He had no idea how he got through that blast unscathed.

"I had to use my abilities to protect us," Amy explained. She said that directly into his right ear as she kept her arms around him. "You were lucky I recognized the chant."

"So that was an older version of Chaos Blast," he said to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

The others came back in after the explosion. Rouge grabbed Terios immediately and took him outside to the carriage they came in. It flew off into the other direction.

"I don't believe it. That guy sent King Terios home by himself," said Knuckles. He was slowly starting to respect his new boss.

"Sir Sonic can make miracles happen," Blaze added. "If he keeps this up things will get much better for us. He can probably turn the queen around."

"I agree. He's an interesting fellow," Cream said while sipping tea. "I hope we can avoid fights with King Terios in the future."

* * *

Sonic made it back to his room after helping Amy assess the damages to the throne room. It was deemed a total loss and would have to be completely rebuilt. He didn't care about that at all. All he was worried about was one statement from Terios. "There's no way he can protect you from the humans to the east." Those words kept ringing in his head. He was hoping that this time period didn't have an Eggman equivalent, but it might. He couldn't rest properly. That was the only thing on his mind. It didn't take long for Amy to show up in his room again. She sat at the foot of his bed.

"There's something I should warn you about. We are members of royalty for a reason. We have to ability to use magic. The spell King Terios used was a very strong, attack-based spell. If I didn't shield you who knows what would have happened?"

"How many kingdoms are there on the continent," Sonic asked. He was very curious about the land's makeup.

"This kingdom, the Kingdom of Mobius is the smallest. We are near the middle of the continent. It's landlocked. Our only sources of water are whatever we find by digging or the Emerald River. To the east there is a kingdom. I don't know the name of it. It's the biggest of the five and only humans live on it. It's supposed to be a very dangerous place for us animals. The west is King Terios's Kingdom, Lavertium. It gets its name from the volcanos. That kingdom has several. It's bigger than ours, but not that much bigger. To the north is the holy lands and they ruled by the pope. He doesn't like to get involved with wars. Visits from him are rare. I've only seen him once. To the south is the Chaotix Republic. That is the second largest kingdom. A group of three nobles oversee operations. It is a very prosperous kingdom and is used by the whole continent for tourism. They tend to remain neutral during disputes."

"Interesting. That's good to know."

Amy stood up. "I think it's time for me to rebuild the army."

"Why?"

"You'll find out soon enough. For now, get some rest. You have an important day tomorrow."


	4. Rebirth of the Army

The next morning, Sonic woke up rather early. He looked out the window. The sky was mostly black with shades of orange. It was nearly cloudless. He hopped out of his bed and hoisted his sword over his shoulder. Miles was also coming out of his door at the same time. Since Sonic hasn't seen him in a bit, this made him curious.

"How's it been going," he asked as they walked down the hall. "Are your clan and sister doing well?"

"Yes, they are fine. Apparently, the rooms on the other tower were used for the army. Since the army was disbanded, everyone got their own room. There are still many unused rooms."

"That's good to hear."

"So, I heard today was supposed to be important. What's going on?"

"I guess we'll find out shortly."

* * *

Amy, Blaze, Knuckles, and Cream were waiting for them in the main hall.

"We are heading into the kingdom today so I can make some announcements to the citizens," Amy explained.

"Finally I get to see more of the place," Sonic exclaimed. Even though he wasn't showing it, staying in the castle made him restless despite the fact it has been only one day since his arrival!

"Yes, you and Miles shall accompany me. Knuckles is coming along as well."

"What about me, your highness," Blaze asked.

Amy walked over to her and gently patted her on the head. This made her blush and slowly shake her tail. "I know I usually take you along for protection, but Sonic can relieve you of that duty. For now I think it would best for you and your task force to stay at the castle when we're away. Since we now have children in the castle, someone must remain behind to protect them in case of emergency. Can you do that for me?"

"I shall protect the castle in your absence," she replied quickly.

Sonic, Miles, Amy, and Knuckles piled into the carriage with Cream in her white uniform with that large hat as the driver. They went around the castle and took the path behind it instead. While in the carriage, the blue hedgehog was decimating an apple as usual. He noticed a bag near Amy's seat.

"What's in the bag?"

"Ah that's a surprise. You'll find out after the announcements."

* * *

As much as he wanted to, Sonic couldn't look outside due to the curtains. The ride took a couple of hours, so both Knuckles and Miles fell asleep. Sonic went through eight apples, but kept stealing glances at Amy who was staring off into space during the whole ride. He thought that if the Amy from his time period was more like this one then she wouldn't be so bad.

The landscape of Mobius wasn't varied. It was a tiny kingdom with its only distinct feature being the mountain range it shared with the holy lands to the north. Outside of a few patches of forest here or there, the land was very uneventful. It was mostly just plains and rolling hills. The carriage was moving north. As with every kingdom, there were towns besides the capital. Mobius only had two. One to the north near the border with the holy land and one towards the south near the border of the Chaotix Republic. The larger of the two was the northern one which was named Ringsdale.

The town got its distinctive name from its gate. The gate was a ginormous golden ring tall enough for almost anything to pass through. While this was once the former the capital before previous incidents, the town doesn't look it now. Gone were the colorful streets, high population, and bustling market this place used to be. Most buildings were run down, the population was much smaller than used to be, and most vendors have closed up shop. The only features that remained constant throughout the years were the cobblestone roads and large golden town gate. Nevertheless, Amy chose this place to make her announcement because it still had the most citizens within its boundaries. She rented out the largest theater so she could have the largest audience possible. Yes, she was the queen and could have just demanded the place, but she knew the town was having financial problems and deeply wanted to help out so she gave twice the amount that was requested for rent the area for the day. Of course, anyone could come to her presentation for free.

Cream drove the carriage behind the theater. Sonic slapped Knuckles to wake him up. This made him jump and hit his head on the ceiling of the carriage. They entered the building through the back door. The curtain hasn't been raised yet. The place was relatively clean. The stage's wooden floors were spotless. Sonic poked his head out under the curtain. He was surprised to see a full house. Every seat was filled with the residents of the town. The residents consisted of almost every woodland animal you could think of. It was very diverse. He had never witnessed such a thing before. Cream was standing by the rope that controlled the curtains. She had Sonic, Miles, and Knuckles stand side-by-side in the center of the stage. If you were looking at them from the crowd, Amy was standing off towards the left of them. She straightened out her crown and prepared her scepter.

"What's she doing," Miles asked Cream.

"Oh, that's the voice-amplifier spell. It allows her scepter to magnify the volume of her voice."

"Is there anything magic can't do?"

On Amy's signal, the curtain was raised. The place erupted into applause as the people saw their queen. It seemed she was still liked regardless of the kingdom's then current state. She put the scepter up towards her mouth and started to speak.

"Greetings to the people of Ringsdale! I have some announcements to make. First, I would like to introduce this young man."

She opened her right hand and made a motion towards Sonic.

"I'm sure you've all heard of the legendary warrior that defeated a dragon by himself and was able to send the naughty King Terios away from our kingdom! I'm here to introduce Sonic the Hedgehog!"

The screaming was deafening. Sonic's accolades swept through the continent like a wildfire. All the citizens approved of him and they took their opportunity to let it be known. Amy reached into her bag from earlier and pulled out a cape. The cape was golden in color on the outside and black in color on the inside. On the outside was the design of Amy's crown stitched in black thread. She walked over and placed it on him with a huge smile. The hero allowed the attention to get to his head. He took a bow and the crowd went nuts.

"Next I would like to introduce Miles Prower. Miles is a very close friend of Sonic and will aide us in guiding the Kingdom of Mobius to a more prosperous future."

Miles did receive applause, but not as much as Sonic received. He also was given a cape. Amy handed the scepter to Knuckles. He took a big step forward and began to say some words.

"As you all may know, we've been under constant threat of an invasion from the bordering kingdoms. King Terios also broke the peace treaty during his last visit to our capital. We can no longer rely on the Kingdom of Lavertium for support. In order to ensure peace on our land we must create the army again. We must protect Queen Amy! We must protect our way of life! The new army will be led by none other than Sir Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Knuckles's speech was half-baked. He knew this day was coming but did not prepare for it at all. The crowd bought into it and word began to spread of the army being rebuilt. Sonic was the selling point. What young man wouldn't want to learn from the hero who brought down a dragon by himself? The hero who ran out King Terios by himself. The hero who was rumored to have defeated General Knuckles by himself who had a reputation for being one of the strongest in the world. Some people considered it a dream.

Cream came floating down using her ears. She was a fan-favorite amongst the population. The mere sight of her once again made the crowd go crazy. Amy handed her the scepter.

"Hi! I will be in charge of registration for the army," she screamed with a smile on her face so cute it could make your heart melt.

"Registration will begin next week!"

With that, the crowd dispersed. Sonic was dumbfounded.

"You rented out the theater for a presentation that only took thirty minutes?"

"This was my first public announcement since becoming a queen," she explained. "I figured I might as well start with something easy."

"I see," Miles replied. "It must have been very difficult for you."

"Well, I think it was all a success," said Knuckles as he walked out of the door. "We should get back to the castle now and check on Blaze. This is the first time we've ever assigned her guard duty."

* * *

Back at the castle, Blaze was standing in front of the desk in the throne room. The desk had a mirror attached to the top of it. She was patting the top of her head while looking at herself wondering what her face looked like while Amy was petting her. A member of her task force alerted her that a visitor was in the main hall. She walked out to notice a hedgehog standing there. He was in an elegant white robe that was stitched with an elaborate golden design. The color of his fur was very light grey. You could almost say he looked silver! Blaze immediately got on one knee in his presence.

"Pope Silver, it has been awhile."

"You don't have to bow before me, Blaze," he replied as he walked over to her.

She stood up. She was so nervous that she could barely look him in the eyes. He just walked over to her with a calm smile.

"I'm glad I was able to see you again after such a long time," he whispered to her. She almost fell to her knees. "Once I'm done with my business here, I'd like to take you with me for a while."

She just nodded her head as if she was under his spell. The cat's brain finally ticked.

"What is your business here?"

"I've come to discuss something with Queen Amy and her brave, new knight," he explained as he headed towards the courtyard. "Please alert them of my arrival when they return."

It didn't take much longer for the party to return from their visit. Blaze instructed Sonic and Amy to head straight to the courtyard. Amy quickly got down on one knee just as Blaze did. Sonic didn't. He had no idea why he should which was to be expected. All he saw before him was Silver in a robe.

"Your holiness, why have you come to my kingdom," she asked politely.

"Stand up," he replied. "You don't have to bow before me. We are on equal footing here."

Amy took a seat right next to him. Sonic sat on a bench as well, but on the other side of the path.

His face changed to a more focused expression. "I'd like to discuss the rumors about an invasion from the eastern kingdom."

"Rumors? What have you heard?"

He pulled out a hand-drawn interpretation of the continent with borders of each kingdom. "King Robotnik is currently improving his army and wants to expand his country's borders by taking over Ringsdale and Mirisburg."

"That's correct. Your capital city, Miriburg, sits near the border of the eastern kingdom."

"Right, he wants to seize it and Ringsdale since it's your largest settlement. Obviously he'll start with Ringsdale first so he can station his army at another entry point to my kingdom. Rumors estimate that he'll attack within a month."

"Do you think we can hold his army off?"

"It might be possible if we had the support of Lavertium and the Chaotix Republic."

"You know just as well as me that both of them are out of the question."

"Not necessarily. I think we can win King Terios over if we retrieve his fiancée from the eastern kingdom."

"That King Terios confounds me. Why King Robotnik's kin?"

"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Anyway, I'm sure if we agree to help him he might help us."

"Even if we do get King Terios on board, how do we convince the Chaotix Republic? You know they stay neutral no matter what events occur."

"Leave them to me. You just do your part and get King Terios to come around."

Sonic finally decided to open his mouth. "Where do I fit in on this?"

"Ah, Sir Sonic the Hedgehog, you will be important in repelling King Robotnik's forces from Ringsdale. If you succeed then I'll give you one of your Chaos Emeralds."

"How do you know I'm after the Chaos Emeralds?"

"I'm the pope. I know everything," he replied with a hearty laugh.

Sonic didn't buy it. The man of god stood up and proceeded to walk down the path into the castle.

"Do you mind if I borrow Blaze for a while," he asked before entering.

"What for," Amy inquired. She was oblivious to their past relationship.

"We have some catching up to do."

"Ah, well if it's not for too long then."

Once he made it inside, Amy walked over to Sonic.

"Why does he want to borrow Blaze?"

"It's obvious to me. He likes her." The pope showed no signs of this, but Sonic just felt like he knew for some reason.

"Really?"


	5. Uniting the Kingdoms

**Note: Chapters will be getting much longer (either about this length or larger) from this point on. Some will still be short, but most won't. Daily updates won't happen frequently. I noticed that previous chapters have some mistakes. Bear with me on that. They are hard for me to catch during proofreading because it's normally just some left out words due to my quick typing that I glance over as I reread because my mind fills in the blanks. I spend about an hour or two per chapter at the most and I tend to leave out small words occasionally. Grammatical errors I tend to catch during proofreading so those aren't a big deal I hope. English is not my first language, actually. I did begin to learn at a young age, but it's not my first. **

* * *

The Kingdom of Lavertium was a vast land nearly three times the landmass of Mobius. Legends said that countless wars were waged over this territory due to its many miles of fertile soil. Lavertium took up most of the west coast of the continent. Near the north was that distinct mountain range that both Mobius and the holy land share. This mountain range acted as the boundary between the holy lands and other countries that touched its border. It extended across the whole continent. A little more down was the miles and miles of fertile soil. Countless families owned land across it and they handled the farming. Most of Lavertium's money came from exporting food. It's the sole reason why this place has remained prosperous despite its frequent changes in leadership. On the coast was where some volcanos were located. Most of them were inactive so the land shaped up nicely for now, but one was scheduled to blow any minute now so some citizens were on alert for the eventual catastrophe. Most of the southern part of the kingdom contained a large collection of dwellings, shops, and inns. Chaleville was the name of this territory and it also served as the nation's capital.

Near the back of it on large stretches of land sat King Terios's castle. It was surrounded by a moat. The walls of the castle were stone of course. There were many windows, but none of them stained glass. What should be of note that would please the eye of many tourists were the marble paths and the beautifully crafted sculptures that dotted the castle grounds. Each of the nine sculptures was modeled after each king that lived here in the past. The current king's sculpture was not finished yet since he became the king rather recently. On the inside, the castle was structured like a triangle with a main tower in the middle. The main tower in the middle served as King Terios's part. There were five floors, each floor accessible by four sets of stairs. On the bottom floor was where the main hall was. Here you had access to the offices of the main castle staff and the throne room.

It should be mentioned that the inside of the first floor is beautifully decorated. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted by the fountain in the shape of a ring. The white, marble floors were always kept clean by the staff. Many glass decorations hung from the ceiling. From this room you could access the areas mentioned earlier, but to the right was a desk. This desk is where Rouge usually sat. Besides her other duties, she usually took care of visitors. Another person wasn't hired for this because King Terios rarely received visitors, but Rouge would sit in this desk if her king was out and she stayed behind.

To gain access to any other area of the castle, you had to have approval by Rouge. Now then, the second to fifth floors were less extravagant since visitors weren't allowed on them anyway. The second floor contained the castle library, said to be the most expansive library on the continent. Books from all over have been gathered here and beautifully organized by someone who loved books in her spare time. She's no longer at the castle, but King Terios has ordered this floor to be left exactly the way it his. His staff was confused, but his word was law. The room had candles around it and larger, gas-powered lamps hanging from the ceiling. They provided the perfect amount of light for reading. Only one of the castle's staff was assigned to it, and all she had to do was turn off or turn on the flames at predetermined times. The huge windows were enough to let natural light in during the day. Floors three to five were mostly used to store important items. What was up there remained a mystery to everyone but the king for only he could open the doors to each floor.

Surrounding the main tower were three smaller towers connected by long pathways. The towers and their paths formed a triangle. Two towers were in front of the middle tower, and one was in the back of the middle tower. The back tower, which will be known as the southern tower, only contained two floors and they were used as the royal sleeping quarters. Only the king and certain staff could enter. The tower in front to the left, which is the eastern tower, was used as a lookout point and housed the castle guards. The tower to the right, which was the western tower, housed the less important staff and guests.

King Terios was walking out of the southern tower to the main one so he could go to his throne room. He's lucky Sonic stopped he did for he was able to get away with no major injuries. He just had to rest. He entered the main tower from the back door. Rouge noticed this and left her post to accompany him. The throne room was rather simple with only one thing of note in it, his throne. There were other chairs in case a meeting was held there in emergencies, but most meetings were held in the southern tower if with the staff or the eastern tower if with the guards. He sat in his throne.

"Have you rested well," the bat asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," he replied as he looked up to the ceiling. "I guess I should throw away that plan I had."

"That's right, that blue hedgehog stole your thunder. What was his name? Sonic! It was Sonic. We watched the whole fight from the main hallway. That fellow could surely use a sword!"

His lieutenant sounded like a giddy school girl. He sighed then continued on with his statement.

"I should have just been honest. I want to invade the eastern lands in hopes of getting her back and Queen Amy's support could be most help. After yesterday, there's no way she would agree now. The pope won't bother either."

A carrier pigeon came in through the window. Rouge stuck out her right arm and it perched there. She observed the note it had.

"Queen Amy wants us at her castle tomorrow to discuss something important."

"I don't know about going back there so soon. I have nothing against Queen Amy, but I want to behead her cocky, little knight."

"We should at least see what she wants."

"Fine, I'll go."

"Please resist the urge to kick that knight's head in."

* * *

Back in Mobius, it was nighttime. Sonic had trouble sleeping. He walked downstairs and went into the courtyard. He sat there and stared at the stars.

"I wonder if the time will ever come for me to get back home."

"Maybe," a voice said.

He jumped out of his seat. Amy was standing at the entrance in a pink nightgown. Sonic had to turn his head. He could barely look at her. She sat down next to him.

"So my worries were true. You are homesick," she said. "Are you not comfortable here?"

"No, I'm completely fine. Don't worry about me. It's just that I'm reminded of my time period everywhere I go. I can't help but miss being back home."

"I see. What was your time period like?"

"I'd rather not say." He stood up. "I think I can go back to sleep now."

Amy grabbed his arm. Sonic's chest tightened and his pulse shot up like a rocket. He turned around. The blue hedgehog felt something he never felt before. The moonlight was gently bouncing of her face. Her revealing nightgown made his throat close and his mind wonder into the stratosphere. No one in the past had ever given him this type of emotion. Sonic did the unthinkable. He lost his cool.

With a very shaky voice he asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Would you like to come to my room? I want to show you something."

That was words he never thought he would hear. She held his hand tightly and led him inside. Sonic already had the wrong idea. His legs were slightly wobbly. He was so nervous it was getting difficult to breathe.

Ever wondered what one of the doors in the throne room were for? Amy's sleeping quarters were located behind one. Sonic was a bit confused. He expected something more extravagant, fancier. Instead, the room wasn't much different from his except for the bed. It was much larger and had pink sheets. He took a seat at the foot of it. Amy didn't mention it, but Cream was a normal visitor during the night. This was one of those rare nights where she didn't show up. She took this chance to invite Sonic in and show him something very important. Amy had a small bookshelf along the left wall. She pulled out a green book. It didn't have a title. Her hand only pulled it out halfway. Sonic found this odd, but it made sense soon enough once her bed started to shake. He hopped off and a set of stairs appeared under the raised bed. She walked in and he followed. All they had to guide them down were candles along the walls. At the end of the stairs were some torches mounted on the wall to the right. Amy took one and lit it using a candle. She then took that torch and lit a bigger one on the right of the room. Sonic's eyes opened wide as he took a look. In the floor of this dome-shaped room was a huge mirror. It was exceptionally clean and the reflection was perfect.

"This mirror is our greatest treasure," Amy explained while she stared into it. "It allows us to see into the future."

"Such a thing exists," Sonic asked.

"Yes, but my father was the only one who could activate it. I figured since you can use his sword, you can activate the mirror."

"I have no idea how."

"It had something to do with his sword. Take it out and see what happens."

He grabbed his sword and placed it over the mirror. The reflection of the mirror changed to twister of air. Sonic had no idea what was going on. He just remained focused. The sword gave him a mental hint during his fight with King Terios so it might give him one here or so he thought. Nothing of the sort happened. He just kept his eyes closed and concentrated on holding the sword. A few seconds later, the twister disappeared and the mirror's normal reflective properties returned. Sonic dropped his sword and fell to his knees. His breathing was short. He turned his head and stared at Amy as she ran towards him before he blacked out.

* * *

Sonic opened his eyes the next morning. He looked around. He noticed it was hard to move, as if something was on him. He turned his head to the right. Amy was on his arm! It took his mind some time to process, but once it did his eyes opened wide and his heart beat accelerated to new heights. He finally figured out that he was in Amy's room. He started to calm down once he remembered the events from last night. This had him in deep thought.

_Why couldn't I activate the mirror? Was there something I did wrong? The sword didn't give me a hint…_

The door to the room opened slowly. Cream stuck her head in, stared at the two for a bit then slowly closed the door behind her as she walked out.

"Sir Sonic sure does work fast."

He heard those words and that made him nervous again. Amy finally woke up. She had a cute, little yawn that was pleasant to his ears.

"Are you feeling well," she asked. He nodded his head. "Thank goodness. I was deeply worried about you. I kept you in here so I could keep my eyes on you as you slept. I thought you died trying to active the mirror."

"I don't know what happened. It was as if all strength left my body."

"We'll try again another time. For now, we should wait in the throne room for our guests."

They had no idea how long they slept. Half of the day already had passed by. The sun had begun to set. The guests didn't arrive yet so they were fine on that note, but Cream was in the throne room. She shot Sonic an intense stare, one that went straight into his soul. He didn't understand it. He thought she knew about that underground room, but she had no idea. Instead, the words that came out of her mouth shocked him.

"You took my spot," she said with a frown.

Sonic laughed nervously. "Things just ended up that way."

Amy had already taken a seat in her throne after doing her daily routine. She overheard the conversation and locked her eyes on Sonic and viciously shook her head from side to side. He understood that as, "Don't tell her about the room." As a result, he came up with that terrible response. Cream obviously didn't buy it.

"I invited him to my room," Amy said. "He said he was having trouble sleeping so he came to my room. We talked a long time and he ended up falling asleep after a little bit of silence. I wasn't carrying him upstairs so I fell asleep too."

Sonic nodded his head in agreement. The truth was Cream actually didn't care. She just wanted details which she didn't get so she stopped for now. Through the doors walked King Terios alone. He got on one knee at the foot of the small flight of stairs.

"I want to apologize for my previous visits to the castle," he said remorsefully. His head was still down. "Truth is, I wanted this small kingdom's power to aid in a rescue mission."

A smile came across Amy's face. "You will be very pleased with today's discussion."

She brought him up to speed on current events. He was with her the whole way through.

"The Lavertian Army will be at your service," he answered sincerely. "I just have one condition. Once we repel them from the two cities, we go rescue my fiancée."

"We will grant that wish."

The two symbols of royalty shook hands and then King Terios left, but not without taking a glance at Sonic first. Even though they disliked each other, Sonic could see through that cold exterior. King Terios needed help. When the time is upon them, Sonic promised himself that he would aid the king. King Terios made it to his carriage outside, but his Lieutenant was nowhere to be found. She did come with him and he couldn't just leave her behind so he sat in it and waited.

* * *

Because he started the whole fight, Knuckles was tasked with repairing the fountain in the courtyard. He managed to finish after twelve hours of solid work. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he leaned against the wall. The sunset was breathtaking. The light from the sun danced behind the horizon to mix with the sky and produce beautiful shades of orange. He took in this sight and was able to relax. Soon, he noticed that something was blocking the sun. The figure landed in the courtyard. His hand gripped the handle of his sword.

"You came back to pick a fight again," he screamed.

"What is with you," Rouge replied. "Queen Amy invited us here. Relax."

He dropped his hand. "Why did you come? You like following your king everywhere? Should you stay back at the castle?"

"I have to follow that idiot and keep him out of trouble. The king has a short temper."

"Is that the only reason you came?"

"Yes. I'm serious! Stop being so mean!"

Knuckles folded his arms and turned his head.

"It seems you've healed after your fight with the hedgehog."

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Nothing. That's all I wanted to know. I'll take my leave now"

She jumped over the walls surrounding the courtyard and was out of his sight within seconds.

"Why would she ask such things?"

* * *

In the carriage on the way back, Rouge was twirling her finger on her seat.

"You should give up on that dense general," Terios said. "He'll never figure out your feelings."

"Shut up!"

"You confuse me to no end."

"I could say the same about you. What are your true intentions for partnering with Mobius? It can't be for the human girl, is it?"

He gave no response.

* * *

After checking on his sister and the others, Miles was returning back to his room. As he passed through the main hall, he noticed a door open on his right. In this room he entered, he saw a very beautiful oak desk. It was well organized with items neatly placed and a feather with a bottle of ink for writing. To his left he saw a bookshelf. A ladder was being used by Cream to place something at the top. It looked like a framed drawing, but he couldn't make it out from here because her hand was blocking the art. He thought back to the presentation at the theater. She was able to float down using her ears. Why wasn't she using them to fly? It seemed like she was losing her footing. His tails instinctively spun. He rose into the air and caught the rabbit. She closed her eyes and feared for the worst, but once she opened them she noticed she was still in the air. He placed her back on the ladder.

"Be a bit more careful," he warned as he held her at the waist.

Her face turned red as she placed the framed drawing at the top. It was a drawing of her. It was poorly done, but it was weirdly cute. The proportions were terrible, the scenery was blotches of green, and the sun near the top was oval instead of round, but the drawing had a certain appeal to it.

"Your clan drew this for me," she explained as she got off the ladder. "At night I've been spending time with them. They're a well-behaved bunch."

"So you've been watching them for me? Thank you so much! Knuckles has been keeping me very busy preparing for when army registration begins."

"Don't worry about it. I enjoy the time I spend with them."

"I have a question. You used your ears to float down at the theater. Why don't you use them to fly?"

"Are you serious? There's no way I could fly using my ears!"

Miles gently touched her right ear. "Judging by the length of your ears and the size of your body, you can most definitely fly. You just need to move them differently."

"Y-you really think so?"

"Yes. Try to undulate them as hard as you can then jump."

She took flight, but only for a little while before falling back down. Miles caught her of course.

"You see, I was correct! With some more practice, you'll become better."

"But my ears hurt from just that short flight."

He started to gently massage her ears.

"My mom used to massage my tails when I practice flying years ago. Doing this for you is the least I can do since you look after my family for me."

Cream closed her eyes as she sat on her desk and melted into his hands.


	6. King Terios's Fiance

At the southern tip of the continent was the Chaotix Republic. Besides the area on the main land, it also claimed all islands near the southern coast. The climate of the place was tropical, with nearly perfect weather all year. The three leaders made it clear that this country accepted all people. While citizens of other kingdoms moved here from time to time, it was mostly visited as a popular tourist location due to its southern coast. Even humans would come, but this was rare. This country was the only place with a useable beach. As you went more inland, you could tell this country's society was unlike any other. They borrowed heavily from the technology to the east. The human immigrants that liked the country over the years influenced its design. Buildings were made of brick and mortar. Streets were paved instead of grave or cobblestone. The country had its own highway system. While the items for the future were in place, there was still something very important missing. No one on the continent properly figured out how to exploit electricity yet, so street lights were actually gas-powered lamps lit by fire. Citizens still got around by horse. In the end, it wasn't that different anywhere else except it just looked better.

On the southeastern edge of the country is where the capital stood. It didn't have a name, actually. The leaders were terrible at giving out names. While every other city had name hand-picked by the citizens, the capital had none. The building in which the leader resided was an odd one. No castles here. That eastern influence kicked in again. Their place of residence looked more like a mansion. It was protected by a sliding gate that was managed by none other than human girl. She manually opened or closed the gates herself, but still that was quite the shocker to anyone who visited them. It wasn't shocking to the pope and his escort at all though. They just arrived at night.

"You brought me along just to act as Mobius's Ambassador," Blaze asked. She was pouty. Her voice was full of disappointment.

"Relax. After we finish here, I'll take you to the beach."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Silver floated up the white stairs since walking wasn't his thing and he liked to show off. He knocked on the glass door. He could hear distinct buzzing as someone approached to answer.

"Hello, uh, wow it's the pope!"

The bee hit the floor immediately.

"I'm Charmy, please make yourself at home," he said with his head lowered.

"I'm really getting tired of being greeted like this by people who are as important as me," he remarked.

The two stepped in. He looked to his right. That green crocodile was stretched across a couch with his eyes closed. Sunglasses were on his face, but above his eyes. Charmy floated over and tapped him on the head. He fell out of the couch and rolled on the floor. Before even lifting his head, he grabbed Charmy by the neck and slammed him to the floor.

"What did I tell you about disrupting my naps?!"

"But we have an important guest," he tried to explain. He could barely breathe.

The green person picked his head up and saw the pope. This made him jump to his feet.

"It's been awhile, Vector the Crocodile," the pope said.

Unlike everyone else so far, Vector didn't bow. He just shook the pope's hand. "What are you here for, Pope Silver?"

He took a seat on the red couch that Vector had slept on. Blaze just stood there.

"I've brought with me Blaze the Cat of Mobius's royal task force. She is also acting as an ambassador. We've come to ask for your assistance."

Charmy brought a wooden chair over with a cushion on it. Vector sat down.

"You know I don't like to involve myself in disputes. It's bad for business since most of our income is gained from tourism. If we declare war against a specific country then we might stop receiving visitors from there. Which one is it this time?"

"The kingdom to the east is planning an attack on both Mobius and the holy lands," Blaze explained. "They will most likely strike on Mobius. We'd like to stop them there."

"You guys have no idea what you're dealing with. Have any of you been to Station Square? You've never seen their technology. You've never talked with their ruthless leader. He's crazier than that idiot king of Lavertium."

"We have an ace up our sleeve. We have discovered the new legendary warrior and he's affiliated with the Mobian army," the pope said. He pulled out a book and handed it over.

"Everyone knows the myth about a futuristic hedgehog that comes to our time period and saves us from a catastrophe. You're trying to tell me that actually came true? Show me proof then I'll believe you."

He reached in his robe and pulled out a gem. The gem was unlike any that Vector and Charmy have seen before. Just then, a purple chameleon entered the room. He also didn't bow to pope, but acknowledged his presence.

"Ah, Sir Espio, could you please prove this gem's authenticity," the pope demanded.

He grabbed it and twirled it right in front of his eyes. The red gem was unmistakably one of the rumored gems. These gems were a part of the legend mentioned early.

_Every one-hundred years a great calamity will befall the world. A new hero will be sent from the future to contain it along with seven magical gems of power. The hero will be the only one capable of using the full powers of the gems and will be the only one that can properly wield god's sword, the Silver Excalibur. The gems when combined with that sword will give the user enough power to reshape the planet in his image._

"I've never seen it before," Espio replied after inspection. "It must be one of the gems mentioned in the legend."

"Do you believe me now," the pope asked.

"So you mean to tell me that the legendary warrior walks among us and he'll help us out," Vector inquired. He was still in disbelief.

"Well, more like he'll help out Queen Amy. Doing what she wants will indirectly help us out as well."

"I see. I want to meet him for myself."

"We will be returning to Mobius tomorrow. You can come with us, King Vector."

"I will gladly take you up on that."

"I wanna go too!"

"For what, Charmy?"

"To, umm, see Magistrate Cream."

"Whatever, just don't make too big of a fuss."

"For now, I'd like to borrow one of your beach houses for tonight. Getting here wasn't easy you know."

Vector took a key out of his pocket and tossed it to him.

"When you exit the gates, take a right then follow the first gravel road you see heading south. You'll find it eventually."

The two bowed then took their exit. Charmy looked confused.

"I thought holy figures were supposed to remain celibate."

"Shut up, Charmy!"

* * *

The next day, Sonic sat in front of the castle near its doors. His body was completely shaded from the sun by a pillar. His legs were crossed with his eyes closed as he munched on an apple.

"Registration for the army is still a long time from now. I'll have nothing to do until then. I haven't done much adventuring so far. I'm losing my mind sitting around the castle all day."

"That's true. We haven't been doing much yet," Miles agreed. He sat down next to his friend. "You're supposed to be the leader of the army, but all you've done so far is act like Queen Amy's bodyguard."

"There's no army to lead."

"Correct, but she should at least send you on a mission or something. Remember, part of the agreement was that she gives you chances to find your emeralds."

"If I help with the army then Silver will give me one, or so he said."

"Really? So she is actually holding up her end of the bargain. I don't know what to say. Just be patient until something happens. I know you dislike sitting around all day, but bear with it. Your sacrifice of your freedom has helped my family immensely and I'm forever in your debt."

Sonic received his wish for some action. An earth-shattering explosion happened on the castle's front yard, not too far from the castle itself. The two jumped up and ran towards it. The hedgehog looked back occasionally while running. The fox was managing to keep up with him by using his tails to help for speed. Seeing that almost brought tears to his eyes, but he quickly refocused on the task at hand. In the field was a huge crater. They ran in to inspect it. At the center was a craft unlike anything Miles ever seen before. On the other hand, it looked familiar to Sonic. It appeared to be a more primitive version of Eggman's flying crafts that he used to float around in back in his time period. The hedgehog didn't understand the ingenuity of it, but to him it looked like it was power by steam. The two lifted the metal craft up and under it they found a girl. Her pink blouse was covered with patches of dust. Her pure, white face was littered with dirt and starches. Her blonde hair was a complete mess and above all she seemed to be unconscious. Miles jumped back.

"A human," he shouted.

"What's wrong with you? She's clearly hurt. We should take her to the castle."

"You don't understand. We animals have a bad relationship with the humans."

"Why," Sonic asked as he picked her up. "In my time period, we coexist peacefully."

"I'll explain it to you some other time."

The girl's blue eyes opened. Her vision was blurry, but she got a load of Sonic's face her vision became clear. She jumped out of his arms.

"You! You're the blue hedgehog, the legendary warrior, right?"

Both of them stood there completely confused.

"Yes?"

"Perfect, I found the right person! President Ivo would like to see you in Station Square."

"For what?"

"To discuss helping you get back home. If you agree to cooperate with him, then he'll accelerate your search for those gems!"

"I'm not going."

"He did say I might have to use force."

She lowered her head and reached into her pocket. Miles jumped behind Sonic. She pulled out a bomb and tossed it at them. They both jumped out of the way.

"What is your problem? Aren't you hurt? We were trying to help you!"

"My only purpose is to bring you back with me, even at the cost of my life."

The wind suddenly began to pick up. Sonic ordered Miles to go ask for help. He went straight for his sword this time instead of using some fancy tricks. He knew the foe in front of him was not to be taken lightly. The girl that came to retrieve him floated just a bit off the ground. With her arms spread out and her head tilted back, a strange yellow aura started to form around her. It was visible and very blinding. In her right hand, all that yellow light concentrated there and formed a yellow sword. The sword looked as if it was made out of the sun. It didn't look metal at all. It appeared to be pure energy shaped into a sword. Once the sword was done she floated back down.

"This is your last chance for you to come peacefully."

Sonic didn't say a word. The hero just stared at her with both hands on his sword. She charged first. The clash they made was so strong that it kicked up a gust of wind and scattered the nearby debris. This woman was stronger than anyone he's faced so far. She also moved lightning fast. The blue hedgehog could keep up with her of course, but he had to really concentrate in order to do so. From this he had two thoughts. Number one, she's not human. Number two, she's harnessing the power of a Chaos Emerald. Even though it didn't add up since this time period is not supposed to be advanced enough for such technology, he went with option 1. She can't be human was what he thought. He blocked one of her attacks and sent her flying from the force. She threw down another bomb that he barely managed to dodge. This made a smirk run across her face as she tossed her sword down at him. He twisted his body in an attempt to avoid it, but it grazed his leg. This made him stumble a little, but he kept his footing. Once the weapon hit the ground, it floated back up to her hands. Sonic didn't get it, but his sword wasn't glowing at all. No wind effects, no blue color, nothing. He was banking on this, but it didn't happen.

The girl while still in the air demanded, "Why won't you show me your true power?"

"I'd never waste it on such scum," he replied with a fake smile that would cut your soul deep.

She was not amused and flew right down at him. Sonic's confidence was starting to leave him. He was always on the defensive, never on the offensive. She was always throwing whatever she felt like at him while he was forced to block it. He finally started to get some advice from his sword again. It wasn't helpful advice. It was just a mental picture of the grey Chaos Emerald, but now he understood why his sword wasn't reacting. The emerald he had wasn't the correct power for the job. This explains why he couldn't activate the mirror as well. This also made his mind wander during the fight. If the emeralds are needed for the sword to perform certain functions then how was Amy's dad able to activate the mirror. The emeralds shouldn't have been in this time period! He shook such thoughts from his head and went back to focusing. He finally decided to attack for once and ran at her. She floated to avoid his attack so he jumped in the air to meet her. He attempted to punch her with his left hand, but she blocked it with her arm. While in the air he tried again. All attacks were blocked. This made him very frustrated on the inside, but on the outside he kept that cocky grin.

During a midair clash she said, "Why aren't you turning your sword blue?"

"I have no control over that. It happens when it happens."

"Ah, so the sword is still giving you hints. You don't understand how to master it yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That means you aren't worth my time as of now."

She pushed him off and he collided hard with the ground. His sword fell out of his hands. She fell down in front of him and walked over with her sword pointed at him.

"You really don't know anything, do you? And you call yourself leader of an army."

"It's not his fault," Queen Amy screamed as she came running with Miles and Knuckles behind her. "I've had him performing tasks for me. He hasn't had the time to practice."

"Ah, Queen Amy. It's been awhile."

"I'm not happy to see you, Victoria."

Knuckles's jaw dropped. "Victoria as in, King Terios's fiancée Victoria?!"

"It seems General Knuckles doesn't recognize me."

"Well, you're holding one of the legendary swords for one! The sword of the sun! How did you get it?"

"I'll answer any question you have if one of you can defeat me!"

Amy moved her scepter to her left hand. She picked up Sonic's sword with her right.

"I shall be your opponent. Sonic's inexperience at sword fighting is my fault. All his victories so far have been coincidences."

"But your majesty, your father ordered you to never pick up a sword." Knuckles grabbed her arm. "If Sonic couldn't beat her then no one can."

"Why are you people talking as if I'm dead," Sonic asked. He barely got to his feet. "I don't go down that easily." He walked over and grabbed his sword back from Amy. "I'll finish this."

"Wait, before you start again. What hints does the sword give you?"

"I see a grey Chaos Emerald. I'm not exactly sure what that means."

Miles took a step forward. "In the story about the legendary warrior, it is said that the gems you call "Chaos Emeralds" each have a power associated with their color. Blue is supposed to represent wind. Grey represents ice. Red represents fire. Green represents earth. Yellow represents pure energy. Cyan represents water. Purple represents gravity."

"So grey Chaos Emerald means ice is supposed to be effective against her sword," Amy concluded. "Ok, you fight normally and leave the rest to me!"

She planted her scepter into the ground. He gave all he had into one final push at his opponent while Amy had her eyes closed chanting something. He had no idea what it meant but he kept on anyway. Victoria was growing bored of Sonic so she was giving it her all in an effort to take care of him quickly. Every hit he blocked pushed him back. She couldn't match him in speed but made up for it in power. She surpassed him in that category. Once Amy finished her incantation, a beam of light shot out of her staff and went into Sonic's sword. This froze the blade. When he went to clash with her again, he noticed he made a dent in her sword. This gave the hero all the confidence he need. He dropped on the ground and rolled into a ball while holding his sword out in front of him with both hands. He flung himself forwards at her. She didn't notice that her sword had a dent in it so she blocked the attack with her sword. That was a huge mistake. As he rolled at her like a saw, he gradually chipped off at her weapon piece by piece until it broke. Her sword dissipated into sky as particles of light floated off into the distance. He stopped at that point before doing anymore.

"You should come to the castle with us and answer our questions."


	7. Forbidden Relationship

**Note: Short one just to explain some past events. Chapter 8 will take me awhile**.

* * *

In the castle stood the nation's leaders Amy, Cream, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Their new target was Victoria, which was supposed to be King Terios's fiancée. She was brought here against her own will after losing to the queen and her knight. Without a sword she couldn't do anything and was dragged off without resistance. She stood before them all and answered an onslaught of questions from Amy in her throne room.

"Why did you try to take Sonic from here?"

"I was asked to by an anonymous client for a very large sum of money."

"Anonymous client? So it wasn't the president of Station Square?"

"No, it was some strange person I've never seen before, but he did ask me to take the legendary warrior to the president."

"Next, how did you get the legendary sword of the sun?"

"The person who hired me also gave me the sword. I was shocked he had it in his possession."

"And the craft you came in, how did you get that?"

"It was also supplied by the same person."

"Describe the person."

"I couldn't see any of his body. He covered himself in a dark robe. I did see his hand. He wore a white glove."

Everyone in the room looked at each other. That didn't help much at all.

"You are related to the president, correct? Why are you performing such a dangerous task?"

"When I was taken home, they attempted to brainwash me and kept me locked up to "educate me on being a proper human". I couldn't take it anymore and escaped from Station Square doing odd jobs to survive."

"Odd… Anyway, I have one more question. Humans can't use legendary swords. How were you able to use the sword?"

She pulled out a yellow Chaos Emerald. This sent huge smile across Sonic's face. He took his out. It gradually pulsed as he walked closer to her.

"You have a Chaos Emerald," he shouted.

"A what emerald? The sword is broken so I don't need it anymore."

Sonic snatched it out of her hand. The two emeralds resonated. He noticed his weapon slightly vibrated. He unsheathed it and watched in amazement as the blade changed color. First it was blue, as per the color of the first emerald he found. Second it turned yellow. He saw bolts of light striking the inside of the blade. Third, the two colors combined to form green. This confused him greatly since there was a green Chaos Emerald, but he figured that mystery would solve itself at the right time. The sword reverted back to normal. He put it away along with the Chaos Emeralds.

"Five more to go!"

"I shall take my leave," Victoria said as she exited the room.

"Wait, we could alert King Terios of your presence," Knuckles suggested. "Don't you want us to do that?"

"No, I don't want to see him yet. I have things to take care of first."

Knuckles was about to stop her again, but Amy got out of her throne and grabbed his arm. Victoria exited the castle and headed north.

"I think it's about time I explain a few important events about Victoria," Amy said as she sat back down. "I've heard many things from Lieutenant Rouge and they sound plausible."

Sonic sat on the floor. "I think you should. Something seems strange about that girl."

* * *

Approximately one year ago, Rouge was sitting at her desk. It was a slow day. The castle received no visitors. King Terios was not a popular king. Many citizens hated the royal family and King Terios seemed no different from earlier kings. Just then, someone walked through the door. She was completely covered in a dark robe. Now, Rouge almost never sat at her desk. During the day she would follow her king around or go enjoy herself at one of the many bars in town, but the weather was terrible that day. A thunderstorm was passing, so she didn't go out. This person who walked through the door stared at the receptionist strongly. Rouge was about to say something, but from under her cloak the visitor pulled out a golden ring. She recognized it immediately and let her pass without a stir.

Terios sat in his throne. He was propping up his face with his hand. The black hedgehog was very bored. He had nothing to do today at all. Suddenly, that cloaked person entered the room. He dropped his scepter and ran towards her. She tossed off that cloak and there stood Victoria. Terios embraced her tightly.

"How did you get away this time," he asked.

"It wasn't easy. I had to fake the old geezer, but I'm back and I want to make this visit more special than the others."

Rouge listened outside of the door and peaked occasionally. From what she knew, Victoria was the heir to the Station Square Empire. The current ruler didn't have children of his own. Victoria was all that was left in the family. Obviously she was supposed to continue it, but she was standing there in the arms of King Terios. She shook her head at the thought of the king helping continue the family line. It was impossible. They were of different species so such a relationship would be deemed unacceptable by her peers. Rouge didn't understand it. They started to walk out of the throne room. She hid behind a wall. She thought she shouldn't pursue further. She saw all she needed to see. The King of Lavertium had a relationship with the heir of Station Square, and it was an interspecies relationship on top of that. If word of this got out, King Terios would be murdered and replaced since humans were despised by most animals. On the other hand, Rouge thought nothing of it. She questioned her boss's taste in women, but she didn't really care. All she was that the girl made him happy. As long as that was so then she was all for it and refused all visitors that would show up while Victoria was around. She didn't want them to be seen.

The next morning Terios woke up as the sunlight hit his face through the window. He didn't wake up with a smile on his face since her last visit. He looked to his right. Under the blue sheets sleeping with a smile was Victoria. Such a sight made him happy beyond words and he wished she didn't have to go.

The morning didn't go well for everyone, sadly. Rouge never received a visitor to the castle so early. Such an impolite one as well since he smashed the door down to make his entrance. She recognized him and got on one knee. The person in front of her had a bald head. His mustache was the only hair on his face. His red cape was so long it stretched out the door. His black boots made an infuriating noise with each step he took. The red suit he wore gave the impression of importance.

"President Ivo of Station Square, what can I do for you?"

"Stop it, bat," he ordered. His gruff voice made her tremble. "We both know my cousin is here."

"What are you talking about, sir? I have no idea."

"She stayed far too long. What happened to Victoria! Was she captured? Was she murdered?"

"What do you mean she stayed far too long? You knew about her coming here every time?"

"Of course I knew. Her whole purpose is to fish for information so we can take this place over."

"What?!"

King Terios entered the main hall by himself since Victoria was still sleeping. He never saw the president before so his reaction was normal of all animals.

"What is this human doing on my premises? Order him away at once!"

Rouge inched over to him. "That's no normal human."

"Huh?"

"Listen here, you little rat. What have you done with my Victoria?"

"No, you listen. Victoria doesn't want to go back. She wants to stay here. I don't know nor do I care who you are, but you aren't taking her away from here."

"You must be King Terios," Ivo said with a smirk. He slowly walked toward his enemy. "You should know that Victoria's appearances here were planned. She's just gathering information for us."

"I'll never believe such lies, never!"

"Oh, but it's true."

Victoria entered the hall at this time and decided to chime in.

"No, it's true. It started that way, but ever since we first met in town when you saved me from those robbers I've liked you. Once you saw I was human, you didn't react negatively. You sneaked me into your castle, provided me shelter, told me many stories, and took me all over your country. There's no way I could betray you. I grew up with the thought that all animals are barbarians, not on equal footing with us. You have proven that wrong. I've been deeply in love with you ever since."

Ivo sighed. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Did they drug you? Are you under a spell?"

"No cousin. You are the one under a spell. Our whole country is the one under a spell. This blind hatred for animals is unwarranted. We should work together with them and share knowledge to better the continent as whole, not wipe them out then reshape the land in our image."

"Or I can blow the castle up and take you by force if you don't come back with me now."

"Blow it up," Terios replied as he gripped his sword. "Go ahead and try. I'll kill you before you do."

Victoria grabbed his arm and shook her head. She fell to her knees while crying. Her tears were beginning to form a puddle.

"You won't be able to stop him in time," she explained.

She pointed outside of the door. He brought some of his army with him and they were ready for any suspicious movement. With that, Terios dropped his sword. Rouge saw an emotion she never seen from him before, sadness. Tears formed in his eyes as Victoria walked over to Ivo.

"If I see you anywhere near my country, you'll be killed on the spot."

The king dropped his sword and hunched over in sadness. Rouge ran over to him to comfort him. Once it was clear they left, he made an oath.

"That fat bastard will die."

* * *

"How were you able to identify her earlier," Sonic asked. "It sounds like you never seen her before."

"I have. He would bring her over here when things were busy at the castle. I had no idea all that happened until Rouge told me, but that explained his change in behavior."

"Why did you stop me from suggesting we alert King Terios," Knuckles inquired.

"I'm not completely sure if she loved him. While I don't think that she was helping her cousin, I do think she was using King Terios for a different purpose. I'm basing this on the questionable letters she would send off by carrier pigeon during her time here. I have Cream read every letter before they exit castle grounds for security purposes and some of them were odd. I may be overthinking it, but we'll never know for sure. Are there any other questions?"

"I want to ask how she was able to use a Chaos Emerald," Sonic stated. "Humans are not supposed to be able to use them."

"That was the sword, not her," Amy explained. "Your sword is not the only legendary sword. Beside the one she had, there are two more. One is called the sword of the moon and one is called the sword of the stars. They are also activated by one of your emeralds similar to your sword. Your sword is the only sword that can contain them, but I'm guessing you need the right elemental power to do so if your sword gives you hints."

"Well, I have nothing more to ask."

Amy looked around. "Where did Miles and Cream go?"

"They stepped out in the middle of your story," Knuckles replied. "I must admit it was sort of boring."

"Do you want to be put in the dungeon for a fortnight?"

"I mean your story was very interesting!"

* * *

Silver, Blaze, Vector, and Charmy arrived at the castle that same day. Sonic was sitting in the courtyard. He stared at the sky. Once he heard footsteps he sat upright. Pope Silver sat next to him along with Vector. Sonic didn't expect to see him here, but another familiar put him at ease a bit more.

"You are supposed to be the legendary warrior," Vector said as he observed Sonic.

"I guess so," Sonic replied. He pulled out his sword. "I'm guessing you rule the Chaotix Republic?"

"How did you know?"

"Just a hunch."

"Do you believe now, King Vector?"

"Alright, I believe you. We'll provide aid to the Mobian and holy armies. You better win with the legendary warrior on your side."

"That's good to hear."

Sonic pulled out both emeralds and started juggling them with his eyes closed. Pope Silver stared at him with a content smile on his face. Sonic opened his eyes and noticed this.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied as he stood up. "I'm going to go converse with Queen Amy. Is she in her throne room?"

Sonic nodded his head up and down.


	8. The Attack on Lavertium

**Note: Had a brain-fart. Some dialogue from a later chapter ended up in here. Should be edited out now. Also, went through each chapter and divided them with horizontal lines. **

* * *

The extensive land that belonged to the queen consisted of a beautiful landscape that was large in scope. While its features weren't varied, the contours were a sight to behold. The rolling, green plains stretched as far as the eye could see. There was a lone path in the middle that bridged the castle with the other town to the north, Ringsdale. The path was used before to travel to the theater so those announcements could be made. The sun was directly overhead. Clouds dotted the sky, but none of them blocked the sun so the two people out there weren't so lucky. Miles and Cream took shelter under a tree. Its branches were thick and the leaves provided good shade. She called Miles out there for more flying practice. He sat with his back against the trunk of the tree and watched her achieve flight. She flew up to the branch using her long ears. He didn't stare at her the whole way since he was almost directly under her. He looked away to avoid seeing something he shouldn't. Once she reached the branch, she called out to him.

"I made it! My ears don't hurt either!"

Miles smiled. "You have improved so quickly. I'm very impressed."

His tails started to spin. He flew up towards her. The teacher didn't get on the branch his student sat on. Instead, he floated next to her.

"Next lesson, floating. Since you can fly, you should now try hovering. The trick is to not fly so strongly that you continue to ascend, but fly strongly enough so that you don't descend. I know I make it look easy, but it's much harder than it looks. It requires some concentration."

"I understand your instructions, but I've never tried that before. I'm afraid I might fall."

"Don't worry about it. I'll float with you and will catch you if you feel uncomfortable."

She jumped off her seat and started to fly. Her instructor watched closely. Her ascent slowed. She slowly started to descend, but he didn't try to catch her yet. Her falling speed slowed until finally she floated in place. Cream was ecstatic with a smile that made him blush. He flew over to her.

"Good job. Let's see how long you can keep it up."

She was starting to struggle. She flew off-balance. "Not much longer."

He quickly grabbed his pupil by the waist. Her ears stopped as soon as he did not because she was tired, but because she was shocked. Her pulse accelerated and her head became hot. She couldn't say a word. He floated down gently with her in his arms.

"You did well today," he said with a smile.

She didn't reply. She just got out of his arm, sat up, and inched over to him.

"My ears hurt now. If you don't mind…"

"Certainly."

She bit her lip as he gently caressed her ears, but not far from them something dropped. They both looked up. Charmy was standing there. He had a bouquet of flowers before they dropped out of his hands. He pointed at his new rival.

"W-who are you?!"

"I'm General Miles Prower. I'm the planner and strategist for the new army. It's nice to meet you."

Cream knew what was going on. She knew Charmy had a crush on her. It was a one-way affair. She never thought the same way about him, but Miles was oblivious to all of this. The polite greeting Miles gave Charmy had a negative effect on him. This made him angry. Cream stood up.

"What a surprising visit," she said. "What brings you over, Charmy?"

"Vector is here on official business," he explained. He stared at Miles with a frown. "Was this guy harassing you?" He knew that wasn't true, but wanted to save face for his earlier introduction.

"No, not all. He was teaching me how to fly."

"What?! Why you didn't ask me? I would have been here to give you lessons myself!"

"Wouldn't it be a bother to have you come here from your country just to teach me how to fly?"

"It wouldn't be a bother if it's for you."

"Well, don't worry about it," the fox said. He still had a smile on his face. Miles was terrible at grasping the mood. "She already knows. It's been taken care of."

"Yeah, well, my lessons would have been better!"

It finally clicked in his head what was going on. Charmy was jealous. "We should race. If I win, I'll continue teaching her. If you win then you can teach her. The castle's backdoor is our destination."

The bee jumped at this chance. He took this as a contest for Cream's heart. She went on ahead. The prize tried her best not to show it, but she wanted Miles to win and he did without a problem by running. That was the puzzling thing. Charmy started off floating in the air while his competitor just stood there. This confused him but he didn't question it. He thought this made things easier for him. Once Miles's countdown was complete, he turned his tails while standing and flew horizontally close to ground using his feet for support every now and then. This flabbergasted Charmy as he was left behind in the blink of an eye. A look of defeat was written across his face as he reached the two. He fell to his knees. He never flew so strongly before and the bright sun didn't help either. He was exhausted. Miles was completely fine. He did it without breaking a sweat. Miles offered his right hand for support, but Charmy refused and walked through them into the castle with his head down.

"That's supposed to be one of the co-founders of the Chaotix Republic," Miles asked.

"Yes. He is one of the three nobles."

"I expected him to be different."

'That's what everyone says when they meet him for the first time."

* * *

In Amy's throne room stood Pope Silver and Blaze. Amy relayed Terios's acceptance for support and Silver also spoke about the Chaotix Republic cooperation.

"So all is set," said Silver as he prepared to leave. "I must return for now and prepare as well. If I hear any rumblings, I'll alert you via carrier pigeon."

"I hope everything works out," Amy replied. "If we stop the human army it could provide a good morale boost to the people."

"As long as your knight performs well, there shouldn't be any problems."

He walked out the door. Blaze followed to see him off.

* * *

Vector and Sonic were still talking in the courtyard. He was waiting for Charmy to return so he could leave as well, but he found Sonic's stories very entertaining. The fight with the dragon, the test with Knuckles, the squabble with Terios, and the brawl with Victoria were described in great detail. Vector enjoyed all he heard. This relinquished any doubts he had in his mind of Sonic being the legendary warrior. It had to be true. Charmy entered the courtyard with his head down. He improperly acknowledged Sonic.

"Oh, hey there legendary warrior," he said sadly. He sat next to Vector. "When are we leaving?"

"Now if you're ready. What happened? Weren't you excited to see your friend?"

"I'd rather not talk about that."

Out the corner of his eye, Sonic saw Miles and Cream pass down the hall through the windows. This made him chuckle.

"I'll be taking my leave. It was nice meeting you, Sir Sonic. If things get crazy here, you can always come visit us at the Chaotix Republic!"

"I'll take you up on that one," Sonic accepted. He waved the two off as they left.

* * *

Meanwhile, the citizens of Lavertium were on edge. As they looked towards the sky, in the distance they could see a fleet of metal crafts that approached quickly. It didn't take long for the fleet to be noticed by one of the castle guards and Terios was alerted immediately by Rouge.

"Who do you think that fleet belongs to," she asked.

He got out of his throne and gripped his sword. "It has to belong to the humans. Only they are capable of creating metal crafts that can fly. Looks like that old geezer is trying to start a war."

"What are your commands?"

"Evacuate the citizens and prepare the army. I'll lead them myself."

"Are you sure about that?"

"This is personal."

"But didn't Queen Amy say that the pope alerted her of an attack to Mobius and the holy lands about a month from now?"

"Obviously the pope told a lie."

The king walked out of his castle. Before she followed her superior's wishes, she sent a note towards Mobius asking for help.

* * *

Most of the citizens went to the Chaotix Republic. Some went to Mobius. Terios got his wish as everything was evacuated. On the stretches of farmland that were divided up to families of certain ranks stood Lavertium's army. It was composed of about 10,000 soldiers. This was the second biggest military on the continent behind the guards of the holy lands. The distinct feature of this army was the red and black armor. Every fighter wore it. That was the colors chosen by the king himself. There wasn't a specific reason for this. They were picked by random. Rouge had him pick colors out of a hat since he turned down all of her suggestions. Either way, they ended up with a stylish army that was proud of their gear and served the land well despite the frequent changes in leadership. The crafts that approached in the air weren't that special. They were in the shape of boats that would normally be used for water traveling but much bigger, made out of metal, and could fly. There were twenty of them. As the ships moved forward they blocked the sun casting many shadows on the ground. Once they got close enough, their advancement stopped. Enemies floated down from the ships and the war officially got underway. As his army charged forward, Terios stood at the top of the hill. He stared at the fleet.

"He didn't come down, yet," he remarked with a frown. The anger in him was seething. "How do I get up there?"

The human army consisted of about 8,000. What they lacked in numbers, they made up for with technology. This race was the only race that wrapped their head around guns. The Lavertian army was completely thrown off by that piece of technology since all they had were swords, spears, and arrows. Terios watched atop his hill. The battle seemed even despite the advantage in numbers they had. The black hedgehog really didn't care how his soldiers were doing. He just wanted to get up there.

"If he won't come down, I'll make him come down!"

Terios dropped his sword. On both of his wrist he had two golden rings that were removable. He snapped them off. His body glowed yellow. Both armies temporarily stopped fighting to stare at him.

"If Rouge were around she'd tell me not do this, but any chances I have to get my revenge I will not let pass!"

He ascended and achieved flight. Those rings around his wrist limited his magical powers as all hedgehogs of the royal families are blessed with. That combined with his fly spell allowed him to fly at the speed of sound. A sonic boom echoed across the land. He dove into the battlefield head first. The blast of his impact sent bodies flying. He flew through the human army, carving a path for him and his own army. The ships in the sky started to retreat. He flew towards that fleet. They weren't just going to accept their fate. They had a plan. All the ships flew back except for the biggest one in the middle. The deck parted ways to reveal a large cannon. He didn't care and continued forward. Turns out he should have cared. The cannon didn't shoot a bullet, balls, or a projectile weapon. Instead, the cannon shot electricity. It was a direct hit which halted his flight instantly. He had spasms in midair. Everyone still alive stared up at the lightshow. Before Terios blacked out, he was close enough to the ship to get a look through the windows. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he thought that Victoria was the pilot. When the cannon was done, Terios fell like a meteorite striking the planet's surface. With the king down, the ships proceeded to the capital while the war was still going on. There's was no one left to stop them from taking Lavertium except for the castle guards, but that shouldn't be a problem for the fleet.

* * *

The note arrived in Mobius about three hours later. Sonic noticed the bird flying overhead while he sat in the courtyard. He stuck his right arm out and it perched there. He attempted to read the note, but he couldn't. It was a written language he didn't understand. For some reason he understood the spoken language, but the written language of this time was a mystery to him. Miles saw him and walked over.

"A note came, but I can't read it," Sonic said. He handed it over. "What does it say?"

_Lavertium is under attack by the human army. We need your assistance. Please come as soon as possible before King Terios does something idiotic._

"This doesn't add up going by what the pope told us," the hedgehog replied. "I always had a feeling that pope was up to something."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that the pope is a liar. I'm going ahead. If I head west I'll make it there, right?"

He left a blue streak behind as he took off towards Lavertium's capital. He knew he would make it there faster on foot instead of by carriage and was hoping to buy some time until everyone else arrived.

* * *

Outside of the castle gates stood the human army. They were escorting Victoria and President Ivo. The castle guards were already defeated. Rouge was the last line of defense. She prepared herself in the main hall as the two entered.

"Ah, bat girl, it's been a long time since our last meeting," he said as smug as ever.

This made her frown deeply. "You won't be taking Lavertium!"

"Are you crazy? I don't want to take it. I want to destroy it."

"Huh?"

"This is payback for that stupid king of yours corrupting the mind of my heir."

Victoria stood there and never uttered a word.

"Victoria, are you fine with this?!"

Ivo grinned. He raised his head and looked down on Rouge. "She has to be fine with it. If she's not, I'll kill her."

One of the windows to the right was smashed. Sonic jumped through. "The egghead of this time period is much more dramatic."

"What did you call me?"

"An egghead. Anyway, leave here and have your army retreat before I send you packing."

"I'll leave after I behead you."

Sonic broke out laughing. He couldn't hold it. His chest started to hurt. That ceased when the egghead pulled out his sword. It appeared to be a normal sword at first glance. The handle was brown. The hilt wasn't decorated, but the blade was large and beautifully crafted. Sonic could see his reflection in it. Egghead wielded his sword with both hands and got into his stance. His stance was similar to Victoria's.

"Does everyone here have a sword," the hero sighed.

"Where do you think Victoria got her sword-fighting technique from? You thought it fell out of the sky?"

"Wait, how do you know we fought?"

Ivo didn't say a word. He just smirked and charged forward. The old man was much slower than all previous opponents. He did block a hit just to gauge his strength and he was shocked as the force pushed him back. His power was the strongest so far. He made up for his speed deficit in power. Each hit he blocked pushed him back more down the hall. His sword didn't give him any hints either. Sonic tried to attack with a swipe of his sword. It was dodged quite gracefully. He also made up for his speed deficit in smarts. Sonic was being read like a book. Every swing he made was blocked or dodged. This made him forget about his sword for a moment and go back to his old tricks. He pushed his opponent off then ran around him in a circle. Ivo knew he couldn't attack due to Sonic's speed so he just stood there. Wind started to pick up as the hedgehog increased his speed. He jumped into the air and rode the wind while spinning in a ball. This maneuver increased the speed of the wind. Ivo stuck his sword in the floor and rested all of his weight into it. With his sword back in its sheath, Sonic flew downwards directly at Ivo's head. The president lifted his sword out of the ground and blocked Sonic's spines.

_That didn't work. I guess I should try that._

Once he landed on his feet, he pulled out his sword then rolled into a ball. After he charged up, he shot himself at his enemy. So many sparks flew out from the clash that it was comparable a fireworks display. The more Sonic rolled, the more Ivo was pushed back. He was trying to eject him off, but Sonic kept spinning. Every time he tried to push, Sonic increased his rotations. Finally, his sword gave him a hint. It glowed yellow this time as Sonic kept spinning. Electricity poured out the sword. He stopped spinning and jumped back. While in the air, he swung his sword. A bolt of lightning formed. The old man barely dodged it, but Sonic kept at it. His mind was on autopilot. He shot more bolts. One eventually did hit and this sent Ivo flying. He smacked into the wall by the entrance. Sonic ran over to him before he could even get up. He pointed his sword at him.

"I expected more from someone so feared," he mocked. "That dragon was more of a challenge."

He didn't say anything in response. Rouge screamed from the distance. Sonic didn't notice it, but the man still had his sword! With a swipe of his weapon, blood stained the floor. Sonic noticed this, but it didn't hurt him. The old man finally opened his mouth.

"That didn't cause pain?!"

Sonic touched the cut. His gloves were stained red. A small pool of it was on the floor, yet he didn't feel any different. Suddenly, the pupils of his eyes disappeared. The glowing of his sword intensified. Even though the cut across his abdomen was still there, the bleeding stopped. His body moved on its own. It jumped in the air, rolled into a ball, then aimed for Ivo's arm. He lifted his sword in response to block. The red shoe kicked the sword out of his hands. The body then kicked off of the wall. It came down with the sword in front with intentions of impaling the human. He closed his eyes and feared the worst, but the blue hedgehog was kicked to the back of the head. Victoria saved the day. The body tumbled but ended up on its feet. It ran towards her as fast as the body could move. She didn't have a sword with her so she was defenseless, but through the ceiling came Terios. Rouge was delighted to see her king. Victoria wasn't even though he just saved her! He kicked the body right in the face. Once the black hedgehog landed, he stared at his former fiancée. She stared at him as well. The tension was growing, but then Terios noticed Ivo there on the floor. He picked him up by his moustache with his left hand and pulled out his sword with the right.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"Because that won't help you in any way."

"Victoria is the heir to your position. She's standing right there. If you die, she'll take over and everything will turn out fine."

"Victoria will never be accepted by the citizens due to her past. A family friend will be given the position instead. Victoria has been placed in charge of the army."

"Against her will I'd wager!"

"So what if it was against her will? If she disagrees with anything then she'll be executed as per my orders."

"I don't care!"

"What?!"

Terios kicked him in the stomach. He fell towards the ground. Rouge turned away and so did Victoria. The black hedgehog lifted his sword but he couldn't bring it down. He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill someone. That didn't stop Sonic's body which made its way back to its feet. With the sword extended in front of it, it ran towards Ivo then rolled into a ball. Terios offered no resistance as it rolled over the president, slicing him in half. Everyone was stunned. The room was completely silent as blood splattered all over the walls. Once it finished spinning, the body dropped the sword. It fell over and remained on the ground without breathing. The sword finally stopped glowing.

* * *

Word was received on the outcome of the war. Lavertium ended up winning, but they suffered more casualties. 3,000 died compared to Station Square's 1,500. The remaining human army fled once they received word of their president being murdered by the legendary hedgehog. The guards that came with Victoria and Ivo fled right about the time that Sonic's body started moving on its own. Because of that, Victoria was taken into custody by Rouge. Miles, Knuckles, and Amy showed up not too much longer after everything happened. Terios sat in his throne room with his head down. He couldn't believe what he witnessed, but what got to him the most was Victoria's demeanor. She wasn't happy to see him at all, and wanted to be locked up instead of conversing with him. This didn't make sense to him. His three visitors came walking through the door.

"We heard most events from Rouge," Amy said. She walked up to his throne, kneeled besides him, and gave him a hug.

Miles and Knuckles opened their eyes wide as Terios cried in her arms. They never thought they would see the day that such a ruthless king would cry.

"I-I don't understand Victoria," he explained. "We meet after all this time. I save her life, but she didn't respond at all. What has happened to her?"

Miles and Knuckles quietly stepped out.

"What was the deal with that scene," the fox blurted out.

"Ah, King Terios and Queen Amy were childhood friends," he explained. "When Mobius and Lavertium were on good terms, they would meet each other from time to time when their parents would hold conferences. The plan was to have them married and unite the two countries."

"You're joking."

"No. Actually, Queen Amy was happy about the idea of being married to him. I don't know if she actually loved him, but she greatly anticipated the day of their fabricated marriage. Once word got out that King Terios was in to human women, she started to act distant towards him. Castle staff would say that she spent long nights in her room after hearing the news."

"Sounds like something went on between them in the past."

"You might be right, but for now we should pay a visit to Sir Sonic. If it wasn't for him, Lavertium would have fallen to Ivo."

* * *

In the southern tower was a room where Sonic slept. He had a weird dream. There he floated in a white void. He didn't have a sword and he couldn't speak. In the distance, a figure floated towards him. It was covered in a black cloak. A delicate, feminine voice spoke to him.

"Hello, master. I'm the spirit that resides in your sword."

"Well, remove the cloak so I can see your face."

"No! You'll see me when the time is right."

Sonic giggled since the sword spirit sounded cute. "Alright, what do you need to tell me?"

"There are some instructions I need to mention. First thing, you need to find the Chaos Emeralds quickly. They are very important. If you have them then I'll be unstoppable."

"I know that already. Next."

"Hints won't come to you instantly during battle. I have to detect your enemy by their sword colliding with me. Please be more defensive until I can give you a hint."

"Got it. Next."

"The yellow Chaos Emerald is the all-purpose power emerald. With it, you should now be able to activate the unholy mirror."

"You mean that mirror in the basement?"

"Correct."

"Anything else on this?"

"One you use your sword to activate a holy item, the grey Chaos Emerald is needed to cancel the activation. Since you didn't have the yellow one, your own life force was being used to power the mirror. It was nowhere near enough."

"That explains me fainting. I thought the grey emerald was for ice? That means they have more than just one purpose. What else?"

"I will change color depending on the number of emeralds being used at the same time. Green for two, black for three or more, white for all. Please note that using the emeralds drains a bit of your life force. Combining many of them drains you even faster. You'll faint if you overdo it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Now I'd like to talk about the emeralds themselves. You are much better than my previous master at extracting power from them. They are controlled by feelings, correct? What is the feeling that drives you to fight?"

"Well, it's because I want to protect those that are close to me. All the friends I've made so far need my support, Queen Amy especially."

"So you draw on the emeralds for your desire to protect your friends and the queen? Good. That's really good. Keep at it and make sure your desire never falters. If it does, that could mean the end for both of us during a battle."

"What do you mean both of us? I do the work, you just give me hints."

"If your body takes near-fatal damage, I take over and try to eliminate anything that's considered a threat while the yellow Chaos Emerald attempts to heal you."

"That's why I didn't feel pain from that cut earlier."

"Exactly. You're lucky you had the yellow Chaos Emerald. If you didn't then you would have died. You were healed in the time it took for me to control your body. Once you were healed, the emerald cut me off from control and I fell flat."

"Wait! What if I was in a dangerous position?"

"Don't worry about that. I took care of the fat guy."

"What do you mean, took care of?"

"I killed him."

Sonic was at a loss of words. Such a statement strongly contrasted with the voice that said it.

"If you dislike my methods then pay more attention to your surroundings during battle."

"I got too cocky there. He just reminded me of someone from my time period and I couldn't help myself."

"I see. Well, I've said all I had to say so I'll leave and let you wake up now. Before I go, here's some advice. The people of this time period have yet to see the true power that all seven Chaos Emeralds have. When you find the emeralds, leave as soon as possible. Do not let them see you use their powers. They may try to exploit you."

"Don't worry about that. I'll be fine!"

Sonic waved her off as she floated out of his sight.


End file.
